← Continued from Page 6 of "Automotive Industry Gotchas. Buying a Good New Car Without Getting Screwed"Fuel consumption. Diesel vs. Petrol vs. Hybrid
Fuel consumption is a given, regardless what car you buy, and that’s going to cost you, in spite of whatever figures are boasted by manufacturers. Beside fuel expenses, expect significant maintenance costs, parking tolls, taxes, maybe a fine or two or even expenses due to light accidents. Don’t overlook anything when you’re thinking about getting a car. Keep in mind that certain countries have lower taxes for hybrid vehicles which use up less fuel and also pollute less (if that matters at all for you).
Regarding fuel consumption levels published by the manufacturer, you might as well forget about them as soon as you finish having a look at the car’s spec sheet. You’ll find the real data on the Internet on specialized sites or forums. Consumption levels published by auto makers are, more often than not, ridiculously lower than in reality. I find stuff like “city consumption 23.5 mpg” quite amusing, since in real life that easily translates, on average, to 12mpg in modern cities with heavy traffic, as opposed to the tiny little boxes for “testing” by certain organizations who don’t care about or are fine with screwing over clients (and they’re certainly not doing it for free, unfortunately).
Educate, corroborate, substantiate. That is the key for getting ready to support the expenses brought over by your car’s real mileage.
Personally, I hate Diesel just as much as I hate marketing divisions, but that’s just me. After all, a good Diesel engine might help you get better mileage, albeit with a higher level of pollution, in spite of what some car makers try to disseminate.
Don’t place your trust in what people at the dealership tell you. They’ve been thoroughly brainwashed over countless training sessions. Keep this in mind when evaluation info coming from salesmen and always look for alternative sources of information.
Regarding fuel consumption levels published by the manufacturer, you might as well forget about them as soon as you finish having a look at the car’s spec sheet. You’ll find the real data on the Internet on specialized sites or forums. Consumption levels published by auto makers are, more often than not, ridiculously lower than in reality. I find stuff like “city consumption 23.5 mpg” quite amusing, since in real life that easily translates, on average, to 12mpg in modern cities with heavy traffic, as opposed to the tiny little boxes for “testing” by certain organizations who don’t care about or are fine with screwing over clients (and they’re certainly not doing it for free, unfortunately).
Educate, corroborate, substantiate. That is the key for getting ready to support the expenses brought over by your car’s real mileage.
Personally, I hate Diesel just as much as I hate marketing divisions, but that’s just me. After all, a good Diesel engine might help you get better mileage, albeit with a higher level of pollution, in spite of what some car makers try to disseminate.
Don’t place your trust in what people at the dealership tell you. They’ve been thoroughly brainwashed over countless training sessions. Keep this in mind when evaluation info coming from salesmen and always look for alternative sources of information.
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