http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=when-used-cars-are-more-ecofriendly

 

Dear EarthTalk: Is it better to drive an older, well-maintained car that gets about 25 miles per gallon or to buy a new car that gets about 35 miles per gallon?

-- Edward Peabody, via e-mail

 

It definitely makes more sense from a green perspective to keep your old car running and well-maintained as long as you can‚ especially if it's getting such good mileage. There are significant environmental costs to both manufacturing a new automobile and adding your old car to the ever-growing collective junk heap.

 

A 2004 analysis by Toyota found that as much as 28 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions generated during the lifecycle of a typical gasoline-powered car can occur during its manufacture and its transportation to the dealer; the remaining emissions occur during driving once its new owner takes possession. An earlier study by Seikei University in Japan put the pre-purchase number at 12 percent.

 

Regardless of which conclusion is closer to the truth, your current car has already passed its manufacture and transport stage, so going forward the relevant comparison has only to do with its remaining footprint against that of a new car's manufacture/transport and driver's footprint‚ not to mention the environmental impact of either disposing of your old car or selling it to a new owner who will continue to drive it. There are environmental impacts, too, even if your old car is junked, dismantled and sold for parts.

 

And don't forget that the new hybrids‚ despite lower emissions and better gas mileage‚ actually have a much larger environmental impact in their manufacture, compared to non-hybrids. The batteries that store energy for the drive train are no friend to the environment‚ and having two engines under one hood increases manufacturing emissions. And all-electric vehicles are only emission-free if the outlet providing the juice is connected to a renewable energy source, not a coal-burning power plant, as is more likely.

 

If you want to assess your current car's fuel efficiency or emissions, there are many services available online. The government website FuelEconomy.gov provides fuel efficiency stats for hundreds of different vehicles dating back to 1985. Websites TrackYourGasMileage.com and MPGTune.com can help you track your mileage and provide ongoing tips to improve fuel efficiency for your specific make and model vehicle. MyMileMarker.com takes it a step further, making projections about annual mileage, fuel costs and fuel efficiency based on your driving habits. If you have an iPhone, you can keep track of your car’s carbon footprint with the new "Greenmeter App" from Hunter Research and Technologies. The program uses numerous variables to make its calculations on-the-go as you drive, including weather conditions, cost of fuel, vehicle weight, and more.

 

If you simply must change your vehicle, be it for fuel efficiency or any other reason, one option is to simply buy a used car that gets better gas mileage than your existing one. There's much to be said, from many environmental vantage points, about postponing replacement purchases of anything, not just cars, to keep what's already made out of the waste stream and to delay the additional environmental costs of making something new.

aint that the truth .....

All very true

Classic Gear tuesday night on Motors TV ran a test with old motors,one being the Austin Allegro,all above board test on open roads and town,bloody thing returned 50+mpg,so much for all the hype on these so called eco friendly new motors,and i think one make of old car managed 70+mpg,cant remember what it was tho,sure to be on again soon,they allso had a bit on buying classic cars,the price of the Audi Quattro from 89 circa is 15k!!!! fook me wish i had bought one when they were changing hands at 5k!

 

Tony

Classic Gear tuesday night on Motors TV ran a test with old motors,one being the Austin Allegro,all above board test on open roads and town,bloody thing returned 50+mpg,so much for all the hype on these so called eco friendly new motors,and i think one make of old car managed 70+mpg,cant remember what it was tho,sure to be on again soon,they allso had a bit on buying classic cars,the price of the Audi Quattro from 89 circa is 15k!!!! fook me wish i had bought one when they were changing hands at 5k!

 

Tony

 

It may well do 50mpg, but it's the content of the exhaust gasses that are 10x worse. I read an article relating to new cars vs old cars. Take a 20 year Ford Fiesta, the pollutants it emits are the equivalent of running 10x new Fiestas. I bet they made no mention of the amount of carbon and additional fumes the Allegro produced during that test.

 

There are arguments for both. Consumption vs emissions are all relative.

"Dear EarthTalk: Is it better to drive an older, well-maintained car that gets about 25 miles per gallon or to buy a new car that gets about 35 miles per gallon? "

 

seems an odd question ........... cars are going to run their course regardless of the enviroment. A car doesn't get scrapped until it's no longer financially viable to keep them for one reason or another. It'll get sold on and used by someone else to carry the "Eco burden" for someone else to point the finger at. If they get more efficient and cleaner to make/run then that's progression and it'll have to work it's way down the car food chain.

Edited January 15, 200916 yr by 8ace