US motorists

[planetit]

tell them that in 15 years time, most cars sold in the US will be Japanese or European and they won't even have the choice as to what to drive. So then maybe they will give aforementioned flying ****. Maybe.

Rebecca, the Japanese and European cars sold in America are (funnily enough) built FOR America. E.g. Nissan SUVs, and often built IN America.

It’s not New Zealand you know.

[The Late, Great JC]

Rebecca, the Japanese and European cars sold in America are (funnily enough) built FOR America. E.g. Nissan SUVs, and often built IN America.

It’s not New Zealand you know.

Planet, you're forgetting something? Becky is female and therefore knows nothing about cars, not even where to put the fuel.

[Rebecca Loos]

hang on, I don't know that much about cars, true (well I don't know the technical details) but I am pretty sure that I have read somewhere that the American manufacturers (Ford and GM, since Chrysler does not qualify as it has been bought by Mercedes I think?) depend for their life on SUVs and don't sell much else any more. They are in deep sh1t and only the SUVs maintains them afloat at present. When the SUV market crashes, then Ford and GM crash too. They'll probably end up being bought by Toyota/Mitsubishi/Volksvagen/Renault/BMW/whatever. And then these companies will dictate what Americans drive

[AtW]

When the SUV market crashes, then Ford and GM crash too.

They will just switch to building something else - its not like people will stop buying cars, in fact if they get rid of old crap cars, then they will have to buy something more economical running on diesel, and while I don't know much abou t GM, Ford has got diesel tech and its only matter of user acceptance in the USA, well almost.

Want to reduce dependency on OPEC? Raise taxes on petrol and leave diesel fuel at the same level, in fact make a ladder with annual tax rises that will reach prohibitative level after 10 years.

[DimPrawn]

Most US gas stations don't even sell diesel as no one there drives one and none of the US car makers make a diesel model.

The future is diesel running on biodiesel, but only if our government drops duty on bio-fuels. Which Gordon will never do. The fat ****.

[Bagpuss]

I personally find the clatter of diesels offends my sense of mechanical excellence, which aspires to the "silent" running of machinery. The diesel version of my car (Mondeo)

seriously

I use a peugeot 307 diesel as a beater when not driving my sports car. I have to say it's a very good motorway car and thanks to torque it pulls swiftly in any gear, you don't have to keep changing gear, which is great in stop start traffic!

you may laugh at diesel, but look at the new bmw 530 diesel, under 7.5 seconds to 60 and faster than the petrol 50-70! Lamborghni are currently testing diesel engines! The manufacturers know petrols days are numbered

[DimPrawn]

The only diesel Peugeot I'd consider.





The HDi engine has a displacement of 2 168 cm3with four cylinders, a twin overhead camshaft and sixteen valves. Due to work on the design of the chambers, injection pressures, reinforced on rods and a new turbo charger, the maximum power of this "standard" engine is 129 kW and the maximum torque is 400 Nm. Of course, a particulate emission filter is incorporated into the exhaust line.

RC Spades RC Diamonds
0 to 100 (km/h) 6 seconds
1 000 m - DA 26 seconds
Maximum speed 230 km/h
Mixed (l /100 km) 7.7 4.9
CO2 emissions (g/km) 183 132
Estimated kerb weight (kg) From 900 to 950

[Bagpuss]

I wouldn't buy another peugeot due to the crap build quality, but the one I use isn't mine. Can't fault the engine, mine you neither can ford who use peugeot/citreon engines in all their diesels.

[AtW]

I like my 307, the only thing that I don't like in Peugeot is that they have poor choice of performance diesels, the best currently goes to 136 bph, losers -- VW is much better in this respect, but I despise looks of new Golf.

[Bagpuss]

I like my 307, the only thing that I don't like in Peugeot is that they have poor choice of performance diesels, the best currently goes to 136 bph, losers -- VW is much better in this respect, but I despise looks of new Golf.

The VW golf GTtdi has to be the best balance of economy and performance. I'm thinking of getting one for a beater.