i found this article and thought it was pretty interesting. i don't know if i necessarily believe it, but if it's true, it brings up some good points as to what we should consider an environmentally friendly car.

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/edito...asp?NewsID=188

 

Interesting read, but like you said, not sure if it is real or not. Greenpeace is notoriously fact twisting. I'd like to see the data and criteria for the study.

 

This article is horribly bias, it seems he only attack Toyota but using his theories any hybrid would cause these negative effects to the environment. and the Hummer as a comparison, I don't even want to touch that subject. This author needs to go back to school and relearn bias.

 

Huh? How did he attack Toyota when the author recommends a Scion xB for a true economy car?

The article makes a great point - a majority of pollution comes from the manufacture of autos. A FANTASTIC reason to maintain your car as well as you can to keep it on the road for as long as possible. MPG is only one part of the equation.

In this consumeristic/commercial society, too many people get rid of a perfectly good car just so they can "keep up with the Joneses" and get the latest and greatest. This plays a big factor in environmental pollution.

 

Then why the prius? why not an American made equal? or to make the article not so bias add the words "Hybrids out do Hummer..." then refrence the prius. All I see is Toyota this Toyota that in the article as if Toyota is the leading polluter.

I love environmentalists, they're ideas are good (sometimes a little to much though) but they go about them the worst ways.

 

I didnt think there was any equal to the Prius. There is the Ford Escape Hybrid and GM Silverado Hybrid are not in the smae league as the Prius.

Did you miss this part of the article;

"....Instead, buy one of the most economical cars available - a Toyota Scion xB. The Scion only costs a paltry $0.48 per mile to put on the road...."

 

However, the last paragraph waas correct....it takes years to justify the higher price any hybrid commands.

 

how can he predict that a hummer will be on the road for 300,000 miles? anyone ever heard of that?? if you use the same 300k mile estimate for the prius, it only costs $1.08 per mile. or more realistically, use 100k miles for the hummer, it costs $5.70 per mile.

 

Who has ever seen any GM vehicle last 300k without some major repair money thrown at it?

 

I think that depends on what you are comparing the hybrid to, and how much you drive. If my friend went from his 5.3 V8 Silverado, to the Prius, he'd DOUBLE his MPG, so it would take less than 5 years, Most likely less than 4. However, if I went from my ~30(real world)MPG xA to a ~40(real world)MPG Prius, it would prolly take closer to 6 years.


^^^Raceronabudget made the same point I was going to.

 

Doesn't Toyota have a "Million Mile Club"? The last time I saw a ToMo engine die B4 100,000miles, was my homie that DUMPED n2o (a 55shot into an xA) into it, and blew the motor.

 

That is the point I was trying to make....even your buddy would have to wait YEARS to get back to zero......I doubt anyone would buy stocks that gave negative return for 4 years and be proud of it....


Sure, I am all for saving oil, and for a clean enviroment, and if someone wants a hybrid, more power to them( no pun intended) but all the facts need to be presented, and truthfully. But, as far as clean air, a new car puts cleaner air out than it takes in.

 

and that is really scary, that after we burn fuel, and spit the air out, it's cleaner than b4.

 

Hey, I just figure the more I drive, the better for the atmosphere.

 

Let's All drive then.

 

I'll meet you there....

 

not if I see you first....

 

cab drivers driving v8 caprices, just ask them. The ones who do oil changes at 3k and service their car all the time.

the gm 3.8 v6, my old man has a 91 bonneville with near that mileage and probably even find some 4.3s in some old s10s running ok.

while i'm not trying to defend american crap motors, just saying there are some that do.

Here's been my philosphy on buy car based on their motors.
If you're buying a v8, get one from a company that has been specialising in them for 50+ years. GM/Ford
If you're buying a I4, get one from a company that has been specialising in them for 50+ years. Toyota/Honda

 

dave, sure, in a nation of 300,000,000 you can find a few of everything, I was being rhetorical.

How many Ford Crown Vics have you seen lately smoking like a tar pot? I see more Ford V8's smoking than not.

 

While I do disagree with some of the article, 100K vs. 300K for instance, I do like the larger picture it presents and I tmay be of more importance: do not take things on face value alone. Just because it is a hybrid, it does not mean it is green.

For example, look at the fluorescent bulb craze which appears to be sweeping the land (well, my state anyway) about how great it is when compared to a regular incandescent bulb. Sure it uses less watts, but the companies that make them use more energy to produce them and more energy to dispose of them ( burnt out fluorescents are considered hazardous waste and can not be put into your trashcan!). Of course, Im sure hundreds of thousands are already in the landfills which put off mercury into the land, sea and air. Even more annoying is the fact that there already exists a far superior bulb to the fluorescent ; the LED, which costs very little to make and requires no dangerous gases to produce.

Again, look at the overall picture instead of just the marketing aspect.