New Prius or Used Car?
It takes energy to manufacture automobiles. So which is greener: buying a brand-new Prius or a used high-mileage sedan? The Green Lantern at Slate.org did the calculation— and determined that a used vehicle would have to get 37 mpg or better to be more energy efficient overall than a new Prius.
The calculation makes certain assumptions: that you're going to put 172,500 miles on the vehicle before replacing it, for example— in other words, you'll drive it into the ground. If you're going to drive it 50,000 miles, then trade it (a more wasteful practice), the answer changes. Using their figures, a used car would only need to get 25 mpg to be more energy-efficient in that scenario.
What used cars get 37 mpg or better? My Saturn gets 38 mpg on the freeway, but that's well above its rated combined mileage. Consumer Reports lists the following cars: Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, Toyota Echo, and Honda Civic Hybrid. It's a short list.
The calculation makes certain assumptions: that you're going to put 172,500 miles on the vehicle before replacing it, for example— in other words, you'll drive it into the ground. If you're going to drive it 50,000 miles, then trade it (a more wasteful practice), the answer changes. Using their figures, a used car would only need to get 25 mpg to be more energy-efficient in that scenario.
What used cars get 37 mpg or better? My Saturn gets 38 mpg on the freeway, but that's well above its rated combined mileage. Consumer Reports lists the following cars: Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, Toyota Echo, and Honda Civic Hybrid. It's a short list.
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