buying a sustainable car

[monica]

Hi fellow Marin Waccos,

I'm looking to buy a new car and confused about how to use my dollars to best represent my environmental values.

I was all set to buy a Prius until a friend of mine said "Prius- the resource needed to produce them far outweigh the mileage- which a diesel with of the same size can match anyway. Plus the specialized batteries it uses are HIGHLY toxic and there isn't really a good way of recycling or dealing with them."

I've also heard that the particulates are 25% higher in diesel so it's not a good option either.

What are your thoughts? What sources would you trust to research these issues?

With appreciation,
Monica

["Mad" Miles]

Monica,

From an environmental purist point of view there is no such thing as a "sustainable" automobile. You're supposed to walk, ride a bicycle, or mass transit, if you want to keep your carbon footprint and toxics production to a minimum. And mass transit isn't that great on the latter count.

But, we live in a world built around the automobile. I have one. So this is what I've gathered from my reading over the years.

Used is better than new, for the environment. You're sharing the externality costs with the previous owners, rather than taking them all on yourself by buying a new vehicle.

Other than that, the highest mileage, least polluting (as in running well and smogable, new model enough to not require massive maintenance and replacement costs, both for you and the environment, but in this case, mostly you) is best.

I'm sure there are some energy policy wonks out there who can quantify it all for you in greater detail. But that's what I recall.

Happy motoring!

[2Bwacco]

the other day i saw a fellow driving a teensie-weensie little bright yellow car with a BMW emblem on it...it was exactly a "3 wheel motorcycle" with automobile enclosure on top! the driver told me it was a 1957 model. (offered very little in protection of the driver, but i guess more than what a motorcycle has)

so, looking back at what Americans were producing in 1957? muscle cars, '57 Chevy comes to mind, Chryslers (V-8s, no?), Cadillacs, Impalas... NOTHING like this tiny-tiny little BMW.

The Europeans were way ahead of us: limited availability of fuel and maximum use of limited parking spaces... i just thought it was an interesting comparison of the world in 1957...they were suffering from the effects after the end of World War II. We were bustling with the post-war economy...

Heard advertised amazing deals on leasing Priuses, people are selling their used Priuses to buy into the newer models (saw one parked in Seb. between Post Office and McDonalds) and i think it is on craigslist...



[me, personally, the word sustainable bothers me...i just think it is dumb (sorry). bottom line simply must be economical or frugal...fuel conservation, inexpensive for your budget.
ditto for "closure." but i digress]

[Valley Oak]

Hello Monica,

You're doing the smart thing by putting your voice out there in the world and asking out loud what the alternatives are. Problem is that because auto manufacturers don't produce eco friendly cars then there really isn't a "green" car out there to choose from.

That is, unless you "invent" your own alternative green car then you might have a fighting chance. You can research "flex fuel" vehicles (dual fuel), which can run on gasoline AND ethanol (an alcohol based fuel):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuel

There is a lot out there regarding experimentation but a prototype is prohibitively expensive.

You can convert a diesel vehicle to run of pure vegetable oil (as well as biodiesel) but you have to be someone who is committed to such a project because it can be inconvenient to own a specialty car like this. You need a reliable and highly accessible source of veggie oil; you have to convert the car (and buy the unusual parts for it); you have to find a veggie mechanic who knows how to work on these types of cars and maintain a personal friendship with him; and, if you get an old diesel car, you will find yourself constantly repairing the damn thing.

Granted, if you end up paying only about 50 cents to 1 dollar a gallon, you are not only reducing particle emission significantly but you are also saving a lot of money as well. But if you decide to go veggie, my very strong recommendation to you (based on personal experience) is that you buy a used Mercedes diesel not older than ten years. Be ready to spend between $10k and $20k for the car alone. Then at least another $3k for the conversion. Finally, if you can find a buyer's club, such as the Biofuels Research Cooperative, which is based in Sebastopol, then you'll have plenty of good quality oil that is easily accessible to you.

Truth be told, the car you are looking for does not exist, at least not mass produced. You have to create your own green car or search far and wide and you might find a peculiar manufacturer somewhere that produces a green car, but again, it could be prohibitively expensive because it's not mass produced. The easiest thing for you to do is to simply choose from what is out there, ignoring what your friend told you about the Prius, and pony up the cash. Otherwise, what are you going to do?

This is a long shot but you could try to get involved with your local government and lobby it so that they will spend millions to construct bike lanes like they have in Europe (with their own curbs, like sidewalks do). This way, you and everyone else will be able to use at least one, healthy alternative mode of transportation. Also, petition your local and state government to invest heavily in public transportation.

Good Luck,

Edward

Hi fellow Marin Waccos,

I'm looking to buy a new car and confused about how to use my dollars to best represent my environmental values.

I was all set to buy a Prius until a friend of mine said "Prius- the resource needed to produce them far outweigh the mileage- which a diesel with of the same size can match anyway. Plus the specialized batteries it uses are HIGHLY toxic and there isn't really a good way of recycling or dealing with them."

I've also heard that the particulates are 25% higher in diesel so it's not a good option either.

What are your thoughts? What sources would you trust to research these issues?

With appreciation,
Monica