Originally Posted by
wphamilton
We sometimes overlook the fact that the energy cost of manufacturing a car (and by extension, the carbon footprint) is as much as that arising from the use of the car over its entire life. So given a choice between buying new, the guy keeping his old gas guzzler going is greener than the guy buying a new or late model more efficient vehicle.
That is certainly true for the first year or two... BUT, if the new vehicle gets 70MPG and the old vehicle gets 15MPG it doesn't stay the same, IMO using 80% less fuel adds up real fast in savings and carbon footprint size. The real answer is of course ride a bike...