Guzzler Quandary: Sell Low to Buy High?

[Lazy JW]

Originally Posted By: rpn453
Originally Posted By: ekpolk
So, to turn this around, how do you justify the MUCH BIGGER hole in the ground that has to be dug to mine the ore to make one 6000# Suburban compared to the hole required to make a 2900# Prius. You forgot about the iron ore to make the body steel, didn't you...

Suburban versus Prius? Yeah, it's not even close. But I would be very surprised if a Suburban uses more energy and resources to build and operate than a high-end Lexus hybrid.


If we all would just maintain our vehicles properly and keep them twice as long rather than trade them off because we are 'bored' with them the overall environmental savings would be HUGE! There is much more to economy AND ecology than mere gas mileage.
Joe

 

[ekpolk]

I'm still a hero 'cuz I rescue "late model" "pre-owned" cars from bored people looking for greener grass, right?

 

[Lazy JW]

Originally Posted By: ekpolk
I'm still a hero 'cuz I rescue "late model" "pre-owned" cars from bored people looking for greener grass, right?

Yup. Especially if you keep them for 20 years. Let the bored folks take the beating on depreciation.

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: firemachine69
Steve S:

Are you married? It's about the same deal with women...
Yes I am married.Women depreciate more and the cost of recycling them is really out of line as compared to their cost of aquisition. Maintenance costs as well is out of line compared to the use you get out of them once they are aquired.

 

[Yuk]

Even if gas goes to $7 or $8/gallon the cost of financing a new hybrid, or a highly efficient economy car, and absorbing it's depreciation, makes driving my 10-year- old premium-fuel-only sedan a no-brainer. Where the pendulum swings the other way, for me, is when we're talking about safety. Generally, a 10-year-old midsize car is not as safe, in crash tests, as a new compact car. I have luckily/unluckily been involved in a serious accident, that would resulted in dramatic injuries to my wife, had we not been driving a modern car. Safety trumps fuel economy or economics in my world.

 

[1sttruck]

"Generally, a 10-year-old midsize car is not as safe, in crash tests, as a new compact car."

Some relatives who live in the SoCal desert area area were driving too fast in the rain in their Taurus a few years back, and the car hydroplaned. They said it spun out, then rolled and then went end over end. They were both back at work a couple of days later, and after seeing how the car looked they said a couple of friends bought a Taurus.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: Yuk
Generally, a 10-year-old midsize car is not as safe, in crash tests, as a new compact car.


I think most 10 year old vehicles are relatively safe. Safety standards were well implemented by that time. It's generally now the 15+ year old vehicles that lacked proper standards, though that will certainly vary by model and the average car now is better than the average car then. My g/f's 1993 MX-6 actually has a better frontal impact rating than my 2004 Mazda3 (5 stars vs. 4 stars). The '87 Grand Am I almost died in probably wouldn't even qualify as a 1 star car. There are no crash ratings available for it, and the following generation got 1 star. From watching crash test footage, I don't even think I would have been hurt at all if I were driving my Mazda3 at the time when my tibia was broken into 3 pieces.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

I believe in value from use. If it gets me where I want to go and how I want to get there and I have a smile on my face I got some value. My toys have never been outlandish or overly expewnsaive but besides basic transportation they provide entertainment, utility andare a hobby upon themselves. ANyone who buys a SUV for Status made a bad lifestyle decision, much like the floks I see heading out to the dove leases every Septemeber in their brand new Camuflauge hunting gear. Lifestyle decision to buyy that outfit they will maybewear twice..
Of all the toys I have bought, Toyota 4x4's etc.. the only one I lost money on was the BMW Z4. It just wasn't worth it. It hurt like [censored] to take the hit to get rid of it. I am glad it's gone now though.

I kick myself for selling this one. It was a point and go 4x4( I thought I was moving to Virginia and needed to get rid of a car (should have ditched the BMW at that time).

A bad decision lurked in that garage..