Lebowski said:
Yep, and this business with the valves, for me at least, is why I would not buy one. It is a problem that slowly build up until one day cilinders stop firing. But long before then carbon build up will increase fuel use and cause engine power to drop. Its just inherently flawed.
Im now lookin at the Citroen C3 as the main contender, with the 68 or 82 hp port injected engine. 3 cilinders, 1.2 L of raw French... well...
I was about to pull the trigger on a brand spankin' new Honda insight actually.
I did a quick napkin math calculation..
Over a 15 year lifespan, the hybrid:
+ Costs $8300 more to purchase.
+ Will require the replacement of a battery and/or other electric component, most likely.. $3000.
- $2000 in fuel, because fuel is so cheap now and will probably remain so.
Total premium over the DI econobox is $9300.
Versus the DI car..
+ 4x intake cleanings at an estimated $1000 each = $4000.
+ Eventual injector replacement.. $125 each plus $500 labor estimate = $1000
So over a 15 year lifetime of the car, the DI car costs me $4300 less.
Port injected means less fuel economy and less power. Not something i can live with.
Puts you back to the 1980's in regards to power to weight ratio, now that cars have scads of extra metal so that they can collide with monster suvs and trucks.. :/
Dunno about your cars on that side of the pond, but ours are super heavy these days, so you have to decide whether you want a 11 second 0-60 ( port injected ) or a 8-9 second 0-60 ( direct injected ).