With all the cash for clunkers talk in the news, all the discussion about the environment and hybrid cars and energy conservation, etc., etc., etc. I thought I’d throw a question out there that may or may not be relevant.
Why would anyone want an older car over a new hybrid?
I’ve got a 13-year-old daily driver. It gets about 25-mpg on the highway; less in the city. It uses more gasoline than a Toyota Prius. I will assume that it emits more carbon waste into the atmosphere, too. So in those two measures, the hybrid wins. Hands down.
Now, like I said, my car has been on the ground for 13 years. That means in 13 years, no raw materials, no pollution from a manufacturing plant, no waste from converting raw materials into car parts has occurred. None. On a percentage basis, I have to wonder how much fuel my car will have to burn before it catches up with all that went into building an entire auto plant and producing a new Prius from the ground up. I mean, every Prius out there is still using gas and electricity, so when you include the toll of production and use, how long is it going to take for an older car to out-pollute a new hybrid?
My car is a long way from the scrap heap, but let’s just pretend that it’s time. With the exception of some interior parts and other minor pieces, it was built out of steel. There is just one normal battery. Should this car be sent to the recycler, it will safely and easily be converted back to the raw materials needed to build something new. Well, safe, unless it falls on someone. It won’t have a bunch of hazardous batteries or non-biodegradable plastic clogging up a landfill somewhere. It is ready to live on.
And speaking of all that steel—there is something to be said for the safety bigger, heavier cars afford their passengers. I feel better that there is a full frame and large crush zone around my family and me. It is hard to deny that in a wreck, bigger vehicles fare better than smaller ones, and there are plenty of trucks and SUV’s out there that could run into you at any minute.
An older car can be financially responsible, too. Much of the problem with our economy right now is that people bought what they couldn’t afford. Most people can pay for an older car outright, or at least pay less and make fewer, smaller payments. Older cars are often at the end of their depreciation cycle, so they tend to lose money based on your wear and tear as opposed to their existence. So you have to make a $300 repair once in awhile. Isn’t that better than a $300 car payment every month?
Obviously, maintaining an older car does not put as much money into the economy as buying a new car. Yes, you keep local mechanics employed. Yes, you are buying parts and pieces that it needs to keep going. But it still isn’t the same as spending $30,000 on a new ride.
Since we are picking on the Prius, let’s remember that that car is built in Japan by a Japanese company. Our American car companies and dealerships are going out of business, so it’s hard to see how you are helping America by buying a Prius, minimal environmental considerations notwithstanding. I’ve heard for years how people justified buying foreign cars because “there’s no such thing as an American car now anyway.” Well, in light of what has been happening to our American auto industry, I don’t see how you can believe that argument holds water anymore. Clearly, American auto companies directly affect America in a big way.
So there you go. That’s just something that has been on my mind lately. I’m not an environmentalist, or an economist, or an expert on anything in particular. I like cars. I like old cars. And I like American cars. So I think about them quite a bit. What do you think? Am I crazy? Do I make any good points? Feel free to leave your comments below.
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