Is it greener to buy a second hand car or low emissions new car?

OTK

Hi there
If you buy a second hand car, is that recycling? As cars are valuable, all are recycled until they are fairly old and then scrapped. Old cars are uneconomical and old diesels pollute more than new cars.
Is it greenerto buy a new low emission car than a second hand car?

Húrin

I'm not sure but I know that the production of one Prius causes about 42 tonnes of CO2 to be emitted.

mike65

Its cheaper. Thats what most people think about. I reckon on balance its better to run an old car and keep it running well.

http://www.planetearthautos.com/used_cars_save_the_planet.asp

Mike.

SeanW

Depends on how much drivng you intend to do. If you're only going to drive a lrelatively small amount, get a second hand car - preferably a Japanese car cause those things don't know when to quit - and keep it well maintained.

If on the other hand you're going to be on the roads night and day, considr buying a new car with eco-credentials like a hybrid or a diesel/biofuel car.

Del2005

They did a show on TV last year, BBC I think but not sure, and a couple bought 2 new hybrid cars and claimed that they where green. The person on the show slated them for getting rid of 2 perfectly good cars to buy 2 new green cars.

Best bet is to drive current car into the ground then replace with cleaner car. You can still get low emmission 2nd hand cars!

Capt'n Midnight

Todays word = Bangernomics.

Each time you change a car it's the same as several years average use. It's not as if there have been any major improvements in fuel economy since the first diesels were available in the late 19th century. Apart form the choice of engine type petrol/diesel/hybrid It depends on the weight of the car more than anything else so average fuel economy hasn't changed much since the 80's.