If you want to reduce your dependence on gas, reduce your environmental footprint and potentially save some money, you might want to consider purchasing a diesel-powered car.

Here's an overview of what diesel is, its pros and cons and what you should think about if you're considering a purchase.

What Exactly Is Diesel?

There are several different types of diesel on the market today. There are petrodiesels, which are made from fractional distillation of fuels, as well as biodiesels and biomass to liquid fuels.

Diesel works differently than gasoline in that it uses friction to ignite rather than sparks.

What Kind of Cars Work on Diesel?

Today diesel vehicles are being offered by BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford. There's quite a wide range to choose from, including sedans, SUVs and trucks.

The price range of vehicles also ranges widely. You can get inexpensive sedans on the low end, or very classy SUVs on the high end.

In fact, unless someone knew what to look for, a diesel vehicle by and large looks exactly like a normal vehicle on the outside.

Cost Factors: Do You Save Money?

Unfortunately, the answer is most likely "no."

Because more expensive technology goes into making diesel vehicles, and because they're not produced at the same scale as other vehicles, the upfront cost tends to be a bit higher than their gas counterparts.

Do you save money on gas? The answer is "maybe." Sometimes the price of diesel is below standard gas prices, but sometimes it's higher than premium gas. The fluctuations are so wide that it's difficult to tell whether you're actually saving money or not.

In other words, if money is the main reason you're considering diesel, you might want to consider a hybrid instead. All things considered, hybrids will save you more money in the long run.

One interesting way of saving money with diesel, however, is to manufacture your own gas. You can do so by processing biomass into liquid form. That's a time-consuming process, but an interesting science experiment.

A Few More Considerations

Buyers who're considering a diesel-powered car should know that they're slightly louder than their gas counterparts. Some people also complain that diesel gas smells different than gasoline, though the smell isn't particularly unpleasant.

Finally, remember that not every gas station has diesel fuel. While many gas stations do, it's possible that in a crunch you might have trouble finding gas.

So all in all, should you get a diesel vehicle? If you really want to reduce your environmental footprint and reduce your gas consumption, going diesel is a great way to do it. On the other hand, from a purely cost-saving perspective, going diesel probably isn't the way to go.

You cannot imagine a luxurious life without a car. Everyone has his or her own choice and preferences when it comes to get a car, but a luxury convertible is something everyone feels proud to have.

Like its name, a luxury convertible is a convertible car with all the most modern lavishness, and amenities that assure to promise its driver a stimulating, and high-class experience. More or less, every famous brand of automobiles manufacturing, also offer luxury convertibles as an element of their series. A number of the most prominent luxury convertibles include the Mercedes Benz SL Class, BMW 3 series, the Bentley Continental GTC, and Aston Martin Roadster.

A luxury convertible is undoubtedly expensive and requires a heavy maintenance at regular intervals. They have always been popular in people. The population as a status symbol is keeping them. Actors and other famous people of the society proudly keep a luxury convertible as their symbol of status and prominence. Convertible cars are extremely favoured by the younger age group who prefer to keep them to show off their power and attitude.

It is up to the driver if they want to drive the luxury convertibles with its hood down according to the weather. The luxury convertibles are in high demand in countries having nice and warm weather as people love to benefit from both the wind and the beautiful scenery at the same time as driving.

Apart from being status symbols, these cars also give superior performance and state-of-the-art technology. They come equipped with all the latest features, such as powerful speed engines, and automatic brakes. Most of them also have enhanced safety mechanisms, such as anti-theft systems, pre-collision systems, and water-repellent windows. Almost all of them have anti-skidding and parking sensors, which makes it easy to park them anywhere. Not only that they have beautiful interiors, which make driving the car a very comfortable experience, most luxury convertibles have quality leather seats, and expensive upholstery along with the best stereo systems.

These luxury convertibles provide the driver with a choice of driving with its hood down, when the climate is favourable. The demand of luxury convertibles is more in countries with warm and nice weather since people like to enjoy both the breeze, and the surrounding scenery whilst driving.

With lots of positive aspects one of the disadvantages of keeping these luxury convertibles in the past was that they were not atmosphere friendly. The older versions of convertibles used to release high amounts of poisonous gases into the environment. For that reason, many people disapproved luxury convertibles. Those versions used to consume lots of fuel too that made them rather unaffordable for many people. However, its newer models are no more danger to the atmosphere.

A large number of prominent automobile brands, which have become tremendously popular from past few decades, have introduced the luxury convertibles hybrid versions. The double engine system of luxury convertibles makes them eco-friendly, because they discharge smaller amount of poisonous gases. Moreover, hybrid vehicles offer greater fuel effectiveness, which makes them a more affordable selection. For this reason, after the launch of hybrid luxury convertibles people are more willing to buy such cars.

Do hybrid cars actually save you money in the long run? This is a hotly contested debate in the automobile world.

Several studies released by Consumer Reports and other review agencies have shown that on average, you don't actually save money by buying a hybrid vehicle.

However, most of these studies only take into account the difference between gas mileages. They don't take into account many of the other factors that go into calculating the total cost of ownership.

A new study released by Intellichoice, a vehicle research center, shows that hybrid vehicles do indeed save you money in the long run.

In addition to fuel savings, these are some of the ways that hybrid vehicles save you money.

Better Value Retention

Have you ever heard the saying that your car is worth 30% less the moment you drive it off the lot?

That's true of every new car - except the hybrid. A hybrid vehicle retains its value better than any other type of vehicle.

This value retention is true in the first year, as well as five years down the line.

Federal Tax Credits

There are numerous tax credits you can take advantage of by driving a hybrid vehicle.

These tax credits can range anywhere from $250 to $3,150 depending on the state, the time period and the vehicle you're driving.

Lower Maintenance Costs

Although a hybrid costs more to purchase upfront, their maintenance costs are significantly lower than the average vehicle.

According to the Intellichoice report, the cost of the average non-hybrid vehicle of a comparable nature to the Prius over a five-year period was $33,305. Conversely, the Prius incurred only $19,897 in costs.

Differences in Financing Options

One big hidden cost to buying a vehicle is financing. The percent interest you pay on purchasing your vehicle is a very, very significant part of the total cost of your purchase.

While there are no ongoing special rates for the Toyota Prius, the Civic Hybrid or other hybrid vehicles, the fact is that financing deals are run several times a year specifically for hybrids by most major manufacturers.

That means that if you wanted to buy a Toyota Prius and just waited until a 0.9% APR deal came around, you could save a significant amount of money.

Insurance Costs

Insurers also take the driving habits of hybrid owners into account. If you own a hybrid, your accident rates are a lot lower than other types of car owners, which in turn lowers your insurance costs.

When you take all the various factors into account, not just the differences in fuel costs, hybrid vehicles really do end up saving money in the long run.