Buying a car is not as easy as listing its specs and making a car magically appear in front of you. Many times, you have to sacrifice some functions to have other functions. Remember, not everything can be found in one car. You need to study the characteristics of each one and prioritize the characteristics that you really cannot do without. After all, you can’t have everything you want, unless of course you have it custom-made.

When buying a car, one of the considerations you need to take into account is the fuel that you will put in the tank. There are two types of fuel that are used today, diesel and gas. To help you decide, here is a summary of its features, presented in an easy-to-read comparison format.

Safety

Diesel engines are actually safer than gasoline in terms of explosion. Gas tends to ignite, but gasoline explosions aren’t as frequent as people want you to think. In fact, gas explosions are quite rare. The last one occurred about thirty years ago and so far no repeat incidents have been seen. Statistics also indicate that people are more likely to be injured in a plane crash than in a gasoline explosion.

Diesel, on the other hand, is not explosive by nature, especially now that water-cooled turbochargers have been invented to prevent overheating.

In terms of carbon monoxide poisoning, the gas is also more dangerous. Compared to gas engines, diesel engines produce less carbon monoxide. Rather, it produces sulfur dioxide which, although it can cause nausea, is not as dangerous to life.

Price

Without a doubt, gasoline is more expensive than diesel on the world market. That is why it is much cheaper to use diesel in your car because it can save a lot in terms of fuel cost. Costs balance out when maintenance costs enter the picture. This is because it is much more expensive to maintain a diesel engine or car than gasoline. Diesel engine parts are more expensive, and the fee for mechanics to repair them is even higher.

When buying your car, be sure to keep this in mind. If you don’t plan to use your car for a long time, it’s best to stick to diesel, but if you plan to keep your car for decades, it’s best to stick to gasoline type. Using gasoline is also an option if you are the type who does not use your car often.

Long life

Diesel, they say, lives longer than gasoline engines, but when you count the number of times you have to change a part, the costs you incur are actually the same. Diesel engines seem to live longer because they receive more maintenance than gas engines. You really have to find the time to maintain your car and take good care of the engine. This is because diesel engines are more susceptible to corrosion.

Atmosphere

One of the reasons diesel engines are being phased out is the fact that they are bad for the environment. Unlike gas engines, which do not emit smoke, diesel does, a thick black smoke that is very harmful to the environment.