A New Car Versus a Used Car

[The Toecutter]

I'd rather just convert one to electric. Per mile, it's the cheapest way to go if you design it right. Virtually no maintenance(cept for tires and stuff like that), just very low 'fuel' costs and periodic battery replacement. With insurance and vehicle taxes, it's possible to have lead acid EVs cost in the neighborhood of 20-25 cents per mile. It's just that the up front costs to build one automatically push lower income groups away.

[Silveredwings]

More things I like about used cars are used parts and the vast amount of DIY knowledge available from sites like this one. Someone else out there has not only solved most problems, but blogged it too. It makes it a lot easier, cheaper, and faster to fix and maintain things.

Compared with the alternative of making appointments, getting rides from others for dropping my car off, scheduling warranty work that they "don't seem to get to" for a whole day (why make appointments!?), cost of things not covered, etc, it's a no brainer for me.

[GasSavers_BluEyes]

Originally Posted by Matt Timion

The electric cars ARE zero emissions.

Only where the car is. Somewhere there has to be a powerplant of some kind supplying the electricity. Depending on where you live it might be pretty clean energy, or it may be coal.
Either way, electricity is still cleaner than gas though.

I'm going to go out on a limb though and say that buying a used car may actually be cleaner than a new car due to the pollution caused in making a new car. There are so many used cars on the market that a great many cars which are still great running transportation (and some very fuel effecient as well) are simply scrapped because the owner is tired of trying to sell it. I see this all the time at a U-pull junkyard I go to. Each of these cars could easily give several years more transportation and many more given TLC. Think about it - if every person in the country kept each car they own 1-2 years longer, how many fewer new cars would we need? How much pollution would be saved?

Some day I'd really like to try running the numbers on the '70 Cadillac I own. Calculate the total pollution generated if you had bought it new and driven it for the last 27 years verses buying a new Honda Civic (CVCC back in the day) every four years and driving the same miles. Include all the pollution for all raw materials (steel, plastic, oil, etc) all the way back to when we pulled them from the Earth. Something tells me that at the least the Caddy will be a strong contender in that contest.

[rh77]

Good point, Matt. Since the Integra has long since been a "clean slate" (no payments), any routine maintenance or repairs are much cheaper than a regular monthly payment -- so it continues to pay for itself.

Quattrodave has a good perspective as well -- there's a point where you feel that you don't need the latest-and-greatest. It's sound financial advice not to have to finance an expensive vehicle over several years. Silveredwings: I completely agree with the DIY factor -- I've learned more about cars in general from repairing my own, than I could have from reading a book or magazine. I also have to attribute the help from folks at this site. It's fun, saves money, and is educational.

Of course, the drawbacks to older cars are emissions and safety. Newer models tend to have stronger impact protection and accident prevention technology. But even some models as old as 10-years have ABS, and dual-airbags. Also, if you keep an older model in good working order and achieve above-average FE, then emissions should follow suit.

RH77

[cfg83]

Hello -

I think New vs Used depends on your skillz. If you got the skillz to maintain the car or you have access to an honest mechanic, then a used car is great. A used car that is well maintained is a form of Recycling. A car is such a huge industrial big ticket item, that getting every drop of usefulness out of it is better for the environment.

All of the arguments as already stated are great. My personal equation is as follows :

1 - Assume a small monthly payment on a new car, say $200/month.
2 - Multiply that by 12 months and you get $2400 per year.

Assuming that the used car costs less than $2400 in additional payments over and above regular maintenance, then the used car beats the new car. Notice I am not even including the savings in registration and insurance costs. I think that the above equation is very generous in favor of the new car because I think that typical new car payments are much higher than $200/month.



Now, on to my other job as the Robot Devil's Advocate :

The only drawbacks to used cars are safety and emissions (EDIT: RH77 beat me the keys). Over time, emissions standards and safety standards tend towards improvement. If the car is too "out of date" to meet your personal standards, then you may choose to bite the bullet and go new.

Another legitimate reason to go new is a function of your needs. A new car is supposed to be "trouble free" in the sense that you don't have to worry about what to repair or replace next. That "lack of worry" does have value to people, and is something that alot of people pay (alot) extra for.

Lastly, your job may require it. If your job requires that you "maintain an image", then you may need a new car. If a person is trying to sell Real Estate, then they may need to have a "new car" for the sake of competitive advantage. I am not saying it is good, but I am saying that a person may deem it necessary.

CarloSW2

[The Toecutter]

I'm going to go out on a limb though and say that buying a used car may actually be cleaner than a new car due to the pollution caused in making a new car. There are so many used cars on the market that a great many cars which are still great running transportation (and some very fuel effecient as well) are simply scrapped because the owner is tired of trying to sell it. I see this all the time at a U-pull junkyard I go to. Each of these cars could easily give several years more transportation and many more given TLC. Think about it - if every person in the country kept each car they own 1-2 years longer, how many fewer new cars would we need? How much pollution would be saved?

Approxamately 12 barrels of oil are consumed in the construction of a new car.

[GasSavers_BluEyes]

Originally Posted by The Toecutter

Approxamately 12 barrels of oil are consumed in the construction of a new car.

Somehow that seems low. Does that include the energy used by the mining equipment that got the ore, trucks that took the ore to the metal factory, the factory that processed the iron into steel, trucks that shipped it to the auto maker, and so forth?

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Originally Posted by BluEyes

Somehow that seems low. Does that include the energy used by the mining equipment that got the ore, trucks that took the ore to the metal factory, the factory that processed the iron into steel, trucks that shipped it to the auto maker, and so forth?

Probably. Industry is way more efficient than consumer crap, on a scale of an order of magnitude or more imo...

[red91sit]

Hmm remember in 12 barrels of oil, there is 504 gallons :O

[jcp123]

No more new cars for me...all of mine will be "used", or classic. Newest one I'm interested in getting would be a '63 Galaxie.