Greetings,

I've been driving diesel pickups since '95 and I can tell you that the price
for diesel fuel is cyclic.  Diesel is the same as home heating oil (a.k.a. -
No. 2 fuel oil) so in the winter fuel stores are shifted north for heating
and the pump price climbs.  In the summer diesel prices come down.  This is
opposite of gas prices when the winter sees less driving (and hence less of
a demand for gasoline) and the summer sees more.

Now here's the rub - diesel is cheaper and easier to produce than gasoline,
and doesn't have the additives that gasoline is required to have in some
areas of the country.  Diesel has in the past been more stable than gas
prices, usually only rising 2 cents per gallon when gas moved up 8-10 censt
per gallon.  In the past few years, however, diesel has been pushed
artificially high to keep it on par with gasoline.  My conspiracy theory is
that this keeps the demand for consumer grade diesel powered vehicles low
because a massive increase in the number of diesel cars and light trucks on
the road would stress the current diesel fuel supply system, which is much
less extensive than the supply system for gasoline.

Here are some interesting diesel related facts.  The current emission
standards for light duty diesels (like the kind I have in my pickup) are
very low, and in 2007 (and again in 2010 I believe) they will be even lower,
making the standards for these diesels roughly equivalent to that of a
gasoline motor of similar size and power.  People who tell you that diesels
pollute more are blowing more smoke at you than my truck ever will.

Another interesting fact on the price of fuel in general is that in order
for gasoline to reach an average pump price of $3.00/gal. crude oil would
have to be at or over $95.00 per barrel.  With oil at around $68.00 per
barrel, it makes me wonder just where all that money is going.

Things that make you go "Hmmm..."

Cheers - Jonathan

While the accelration, is not, shall we say, world class, the torque give
masses of low-down power. Even fully loaded it pulls like a train. It is
turbo'd(plus intercooler) DOHC 16v.

As to your question on price Jonathan has given you some insight. For the
most part however it is a question of availabilty.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/oil.html

As more people use diesel, (1) there is less of what used to be almost a
'by-product' of  the crude distillation process.

(1) How many diesel vehicles were there in the US until fairlt
recently?(Trucks-big ones- excluded?