Which is more sustainable: buying a used escort or a new hybrid?

Question

to clarify....i am not asking about the money here.....i am asking about the environmental footprint

Answer 1

Go with the escort. Broken in your driveway makes it greener that the hybrid.

Answer 2

Probably the new hybrid.

Several answers so far have said that it requires massive amounts of resources to build a new car, but this is not really correct.  Studies have shown that only 5-10% of a car's lifetime energy use comes during the construction phase, vs. 80-90% during the operational phase (while you're driving it).  See pages 4-5 here:

http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integrity_...

So if most of the energy is being used while the car is on the road, then you have a smaller environmental impact in the more efficient car (the hybrid).

The less demand there is for old inefficient cars (like a used Escort), the quicker they'll end up at the junkyard (where some of their materials can be reused) and off the road, and if you're replacing those inefficient cars with efficient hybrids, you're decreasing the overall environmental impact.

Answer 3

Most sustainable is to pimp your old escort with a modern engine!

Answer 4

Because a new car costs so much in resources to produce, and the mileage gain is not extreme, the Escort would probably by the most 'sustainable' choice.

Oh, and when it comes to cars Consumer Reports is not worth the paper it is printed on.

Answer 5

The amount of resources that go into building one new car make the Escort a massively more sustainable choice.  Buying a used car is - for all intents and purposes - recycling.  On the plus side, automobiles are the most recycled consumer product in the world, about 97% of each car ends up being recycled on average.

Right now, buying a hybrid isn't much more then a gesture.  The increased price of the vehicle offsets the gains in efficiency.  In an environmental sense, the manufacture of a hybrid (basically build a regular car then add lots of batteries) is much worse for the environment on a 1:1 basis.

However, there is an awful lot to be said for that gesture.  By purchasing a hybrid and paying a premium price, you show that one more person is willing to pay more for something that makes more environmental sense.  You also provide more incentive for auto manufacturers to make more hybrids - which lowers the production costs and lowers the environmental impact of of each car (economies of scale).  On top of that, it helps convince auto makers to invest more money in hybrid / alternative technologies that are even more efficient and cleaner.

Also, ignore the people who say the Escort is a bad car.  They are not a bad car, and they normally are going to go further without major problems then a hybrid (batteries start to go ~100k miles).  Even if you do have problems, it's cheaper to replace the engine and transmission in an Escort then the batteries in a Prius.

EDIT:  Fred, the Prius isn't designed to be much more recyclable then the Escort.  Both vehicles (just like all vehicles on the road) are highly recyclable.  Out of any vehicle, there is only about 100 lbs of material (soundproofing material, carpet padding, and battery mostly) that can't be recycled and that doesn't vary too much between different vehicles.  The exception is the batteries in the Prius - there will be about the same mass that can't be recycled from the batteries alone then from the entire Escort.

As long as both vehicles are in relatively good repair, there is no way for a NEW Prius (which includes manufacturing) to have a smaller environmental footprint than a USED Escort (which doesn't include manufacturing) even if you drive them both a million miles.  Over the life of the Prius, you will have to replace batteries every 100-150k miles which offset any and all other environmental gains over the Escort.

h**l, at 100k miles the Prius barely beats a Hummer H3's environmental footprint.  I'm not trying to rag on the Prius or other hybrids, but the truth is the truth.

Answer 6

I've only done the math in my head, but to me personally, buying a hybrid is more of a protest (and a good one, I might add) than a real money-saving reality.

I'd have to drive a TON of miles, before the gas savings would add up to the $20,000.00 difference in price.  And don't forget, when that hybrid's battery wears out (and it will), it carries a fat price-tag.

Answer 7

A used Ford Escort?  You better check the Consumers Report (latest issue) review of used cars.

Under recommended used cars, there's not a Ford to be found as I recall

Answer 8

Immediatly at time of purchase the Escort will be better; but over the next 10 years you will probably need to dispose of the escort and replace it again.

A Prius will still be running, and is designed to be much more recyclable than any ford.

Plus the Prius is much more relaxing to drive, smooth, quiet, automatic, nearly as good as a pure electric, so reducing your personal stress - which can help you be a more sustainable social person.

(there are a lot of erronious stories floating around trying to dis the Prius, http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_New... no-one is trying to pretend it is the answer to human impact on the planet, but at least it is a step - why do some people get so hostile?)