TDI Question--short trips

Short hops are bad for any car though... we went through batteries and exhausts quickly with our 1991 Golf... once every 2-3 years. You are right tho, with diesels they don't warm as fast... and they don't get their best fuel economy till warm, you might be better off sticking with a gasoline powered car.

The newer diesels are probably better at dealing with short hops tho... and the one good thing with diesels is that they seem to crank over quicker, this might help prolong the life of the starter.

Are you thinking of buying a diesel, or do you own one?

I have one. With the amount I drive, I'd probably be better off with a gas engine, but I like going 600-700 per tank of fuel, and I like doing my small part to reduce fuel usage in an incredibly wasteful society. I have changed the oil at about six month intervals as you suggest. That ends up being about 6000 miles of a mix of about 4000 miles of highway driving, but with a lot of short trips thrown in.

Mine is, in fact, a manual. I think the EPA ratings are about 8-10 mpg higher for the manual, both city and highway, and from what I hear, there is about that much difference in real world mileage. I average about 44 overall for mixed driving against 36/47 EPA ratings. This is the first car I've had that would come closer to its highway rating then its city rating in real world driving.