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Originally Posted by shovel
I disagree, and will have to dig up & scan my emissions results to back up that disagreement   Plus of course, you have to factor in the emissions of the boat/train/truck that delivers the new car to your local dealer, and all the previously discussed pollutants and resources used to make the whole new car - the environmental impact of which could just as well be greater than all the pollutants the car will ever produce in its lifetime of operation.
Newer cars are safer, no disagreement there. People still choose to ride motorcycles, in some states without helmets even. Clearly it's up to the individual to decide what level of safety they want for themselves. A person especially worried about motoring safety might do best to lease volvos and the rest of us folks who managed to survive so far on the cars of any given era through which we lived, we're probably not afraid of those cars either.
As a tangent of this discussion, I've noticed that certain nostalgic cars have become the subject of some specialized restoration companies. I don't have links handy, but have seen restoration shops selling bulk, turnkey examples of relatively "normal" vehicles... jeep J10's, toyota FJ40/60/etc, 80's firebirds, maverick/comet, etc. - clearly there would be no market for a "fully restored" 1985 ford escort, but it seems like auto scrap yards could garner some green press attention by reselling partially restored cars for a couple grand as part of a "keep 'em going" campaign. Green sells these days, right? Or do people not care if it's not fashionable enough? |
Like everything else in life, it depends. My '04 Saturn has more front leg room, interior space, trunk space and horsepower than my '90 Accord. It gets better mileage, is cleaner running and far safer. They weigh within 100 pounds of each other.
I'm still driving that Accord (307,000 miles and counting), but it's showing its age, and after having seen the aftermath of several accidents on the side of the freeway over the past couple of days, I'd be better off moving to the Saturn and passing the Accord to somebody who drives in a better traffic situation than I do.