Which is better from an ecological point of view junking my 95 infiniti @ 20mpg or getting a new hybrid auto?
November 9, 2009 in Global Warming
Did you know that you can save fuel and run your car on water
Doylin asked:
I am wondering whether if milking my old car V8 to the end, its got 215K miles, would use less resources/energy and be better for environment (considering manufacturing costs, costs of mining for metals, cows for leather seats etc) than buying a new or slightly used hybrid car. I drive about 8K miles a year. It seems to me the decreased oil consumption with better miles per gallon would not come near the energy usage that would go into the manufacturing of a new car for me.
Did you know that you can save fuel and run your car on water
Buy a bike.
Having had a hybrid for 5 years now, I’d say keeping the Infiniti a little longer would be the best bet with as modest a number of miles you put on it (Although with 215K miles, you’re driving habits must’ve changed dramatically from 1995). Consider carpooling or public transportation whenever possible and you’ll realize just as much savings.
The reason I say to wait is that the hybrid market is just now reaching “critical mass”. The technology is growing by leaps and bounds; greater sales are offsetting the costs of R&D, more choices are becoming available, and the prices are coming down. I know that the current Civic Hybrid is more efficient, more powerful, has more features, etc, than the first year when I purchased. They will be that much better in a few years.
There’s talk that the next generation Prius (with factory engineered “plug-in” capability) will get almost 100mpg. If you know that a hybrid will be your next car, but that the present car has many serviceable miles, then be patient. You are probably more environmental conscious than the person who will get your used car, anyway – so continuing to drive it conservatively may be the most ideal situation.
Buy a bicycle and keep your old car for occasional trips.
It is definitely better to keep your current car. Even though a hybrid might get twice the mileage, it doesn’t come close to making up for the front end and back end costs of junking your current car and prematurely buying a new car. There is a great report that breaks down the dust to dust costs of cars, but beware, it is a monster 450 page report.