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Old 11-28-2012, 08:53 PM   #8 (permalink)
Ecky
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CAPTAIN CHAOS View Post
Also, 400k+ on one vehicle (even a suburban) is still better environmental-wise than buying a new hybrid or eco-minded car every 3-5years. It takes a LOT of resources to build a car.
I'll agree with you that a Suburban meets the needs of some very well, I'm skeptical on the environmental part.

I would bet that most of the costs of building a vehicle are pretty well represented in the price to purchase that vehicle. If a Prius costs $25,000 and gets ~3x the gas mileage in the hands of the average driver, you're reducing your fuel costs from $110,000 (calculated at ~$3.50/gal where I live) to $37,000. You could buy a new Prius off the lot at MSRP every 5 years and junk the old one at the 150k mile mark and you'd about break even on money spent.

It works out a lot better if you live in an area where gas costs more.
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