2/27  apropos of the thread below...what is the price of diesel, roughly,
      in california these days?  i live in connecticut, and it's up to
      around $2.00/gallon, i.e. higher than gas, and high enough to affect
      food prices.  is this true out west too?  this price hike happened ver
      suddenly about a couple months ago out here.  what about other parts
      of the country?  normal 87 octane gas is around1.50/gallon here.
      \_ A little higher than gas, but diesel engines use fuel more efficiently,
         so overall it is generally more efficient to use diesel.  Diesel cars
         are very popular in Europe.  There are some disadvantages to diesel
         engines: They sound louder, they stink a bit more, and more
         importantly they don't get as hot when they are working, so you cannot
         really redirect engine heat into the passenger compartment to make a
         heating system. -- ilyas
         \_ not so.  from a price per mile ratio, yes.  but diesel tends to
            have some nasty environmental effects as well.  also, many
            gasoline powered cars today can exceed diesel ones in terms
            of miles per galon.
            \_ Overall, gasoline engine technology is a bit more mature (at
               least in small passenger cars), thus it is not surprising that
               some gasoline powered cars are more efficient than some diesel
               powered cars.  However, diesel technology is more promising.
               I think diesel is better for the environment than gasoline.
               It seems counterintuitive, because diesel 'stinks more,' but
               it's true.  However, there are some harmful compounds that are
               released in greater quantities by diesel engines
               (see post below).
               Another thing about diesel engines is that they don't accelerate
               very well, thus 'sporty' cars will probably have gasoline
               engines for a while.  -- ilyas
                        \_ tell us of the stars
                                \_ Billions, upon billions, upon....
               \_ There's still the soot problem, which apparently
                  is a cancer problem. Again, better diesel mixtures
                  can go part of the way to cleaning this up.