Cheap and Green Commuting | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Cheap and Green Commuting

Why you Should Drive a Used Car in College

6
Cheap and Green Commuting
onlyaboutcars.com

I've been seeing an increasing trend on my campus, brand new or late-model used cars instead of old beaters. I simply don't understand this from the admittedly biased position of a broke college junior. Even with the support of parents, these newer cars are a financial nightmare during college, especially in the event of an unforeseen breakdown or accident. If you're considering buying your college student a new set of wheels, allow me to make my case for an older used vehicle. I will attempt to combine my personal experiences with properly researched data in order to provide an accurate case.

As an example of the potentially better older vehicle, we'll use my 1996 Nissan Sentra GLE (Though I recently learned that some of its' components, primarily the internal computer, were scavenged from a 1999 Altima. No idea how or why.) My Nissan comfortably putters along my twenty mile commute, and averages 28 miles to the gallon based on a logbook that tracks its' fuel consumption. I bought it for $4500 in early 2015.

I'm going to borrow from an article from ScientificAmerican.com written in 2009. Let's examine the financial and environmental impacts of turning in an older 28mpg vehicle for a new one that gets 35mpg.

A new vehicle can cost upwards of $30,000 dollars, research by Toyota and Seikei University in Japan estimate 12-28% of a vehicles carbon footprint is produced during manufacture and original sale. The remaining impact occurs over the lifetime of the vehicle as it operates. This already puts older vehicles a step ahead of new vehicles off the line. Having been reduced in price from leaving a lot, and already having passed the production and sale stage, a used vehicle is both financially and environmentally advantageous. In the event you choose a new vehicle, you need to consider the fate of your old one. If still in inspection passing condition, it will likely return to the road under new ownership and keep producing emissions. If it's reached the end of it's effective lifespan, it'll have to be scrapped or recycled. I'm going to briefly sidetrack here, sell your junk cars to a reputable recycler, they can recycle up to 90% of a cars' raw materials and safely dispose of the hazardous components. The edge case exception ifs if you're doing a little DIY recycling. Before my 96' Sentra, I had a nearly identical 97', the 97' now sits in my yard after saving my bacon in a collision with a phone pole in a snowstorm. Every part that wears out on my 96' usually can be replaced by something from the 97'. Once I've salvaged it for everything it can give it'll be sent to a recycler. Another big part of sales that has financial impact is keys. Let's look at another personal example;

My 96' Nissan came with one key and two keyfobs. For redundancy, we got two backup keys, for $4.99 each at a hardware store. My mother, when purchasing a 02' Mercury, spent $80 on a single spare key. Newer model vehicles have keys with microchips as a security feature, which increases the cost of a key sixteen-fold. I personally find that a little ridiculous.

I'm sure many of you are thinking that a hybrid or electric would still be better than years of use by a gas burning car, but don't be so sure. We've yet to perfect a clean way of making the batteries for electrics, and hybrid vehicles produces much more emissions during production due to the creation of two engine systems instead of one.

To clarify my point, because I'm told I can ramble and be somewhat confusing, riding those older cars through college is both a frugal and eco-friendly move. It reduces the need for new vehicles, a big emission maker, and keeps those older cars out of junkyards and scrap piles.




Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

183950
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

10460
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

454730
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

24624
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments