Why Buying a Used Car actually helps you Go Green

Go Green and used cars: sounds crazy, right? How can a used car help you go green?

Here’s how?

New cars have better mileage and expel less emissions as compared to used cars; enough said. But do they really? What consumers don’t know is the environmental costs related to the manufacturing and transportation of the new vehicle.

What would you prefer? An old vehicle that gulps 20 gallons of fuel and still gets you better mileage, or a new beauty (that’s what you tell your friends) that gulps 35 gallons of fuel and gets you the same mileage as the old one.

Just because your vehicle is old doesn’t mean you should just dump it in the junkyard. If your vehicle is well-maintained, emits less carbon-dioxide and gives you better gas mileage, then it’s worth sticking with it. Plus, you don’t add anymore junk to the ever-growing junkyard.

Is dumping a used car the end of the matter? No. There are environmental impacts associated with it, even if your car is dismantled.

Planning to buy a car? Go for a used car. You’ll be dumping less carbon dioxide into the environment. Plus, used cars have already passed their manufacturing and transportation stage and the environmental costs associated with them as compared to the new ones; which will ultimately add to the environmental impact.

Why buying a new hybrid car is not a good idea

Though new hybrid cars emit less carbon dioxide and get better gas mileage, they’re not entirely a greener option. Why? The manufacturing processes of the new hybrid cars have batteries to run the drive trains.

And they are not eco-friendly at all.

Plus, if you’ve thought that having more than one engine under the hood is actually cool, think again! Having more than one engine under the hood actually increases manufacturing emissions.

And, if you thought that all-electric vehicles had no manufacturing emissions, then here’s a shocker for you:

As long as the fuel source is a renewable energy source, then all-electric-vehicles are emissions free. But, when you extract the fuel from a renewable energy source, say a coal power plant, it boosts the manufacturing emissions meter.

Conclusion,

Is it really alright to jeopardize the environmental impacts associated with new hybrid cars? Many advocate the fact that manufacturing new hybrid cars offers better mileage and low emissions and rightly so. But, is it better to drive a car already made of a waste stream, than to deal with the environmental costs related to manufacturing a new one?