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Bayless

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It's been calculated that the production of 1 new motor vehicle produces roughly the same green house gases ( if you believe the AGW crap ) as an average older car in reasonable tune produces in TEN Years of daily use.

The design life of a new vehicle is, depending who you listen to, somewhere between 4-6 years.

If this is true we can assume that a 10 year old car is "carbon neutral", any vehicle older than 10 is "carbon negative".

Think then how environmentally responsible it is for us to keep our 40+ year old vehicles in regular use.

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Basil

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Bayless said:
It's been calculated that the production of 1 new motor vehicle produces roughly the same green house gases ( if you believe the AGW crap ) as an average older car in reasonable tune produces in TEN Years of daily use.

The design life of a new vehicle is, depending who you listen to, somewhere between 4-6 years.

If this is true we can assume that a 10 year old car is "carbon neutral", any vehicle older than 10 is "carbon negative".

Think then how environmentally responsible it is for us to keep our 40+ year old vehicles in regular use.

Anonymous
Click to expand...

I guess I beat the odds with my Santa Fe that I had for 13 years (and 317k+ miles) before I finally gave her to Charity and bought somethign new. I have had my Corvette going on 21 years now. No idea how long I'll keep the new car, but anticipate at least 10 years.
 
anarchy99

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Do we get bonus points if all.our old cars are not running due to a constant state of "I'll finish this project some day"?
 
DrEntropy

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Basil said:
In that case, my Jag has been carbon neutral for years!
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And my two Elans as well. The MG is well tuned, old as dirt, therefore also "carbon negative". Somebody owes us all "carbon credits"! The Benz is diesel and produces only particulate (not sure what else due to the regulated "new" diesel fuels).
 
anarchy99

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Makes me want to make a "carbon neutral" sticker for the sprite when I finish it this go around. It's a toss up between that and "under compensating".
 
DrEntropy

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anarchy99 said:
Makes me want to make a "carbon neutral" sticker for the sprite when I finish it this go around. It's a toss up between that and "under compensating".
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:thumbsup: either one! May decide to visit my sign making pals and augment my "BABY IN BOOT" caution sign in the MG.
 
vette

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I generally keep my cars until they have no residual value. The old Vette and the Healey are probably going to be with me awhile.
 
LarryK

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Never understood how an old British car that gets 35-40 mpg has more pollutants than a newer car that gets 13 mpgs. Considering the newer cars have to have evap systems, catalytic converters, and computer control, when the British car did not. With the manufacturer stopping assembly because some scientist said so.
 
LarryK

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My 1973 GT6 averaged 41 on vacation trips at 70mph. Did find I was down one cylinder once and still got good mileage. After mods and valve job went back down. But, still better mileage than any US car at the time.
 
Popeye

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LarryK said:
the newer cars have to have evap systems, catalytic converters, and computer control, when the British car did not.
Click to expand...

It's precisely those things that reduce pollutants... more fuel is burned, but more completely / closer to stoichiometrically. Gasoline is hydrogen and carbon, and when burned produces carbon dioxide and water - in theory. In practice, NOx and soot are produced as well. And there are unburned hydrocarbons. Each of these, except water, are "pollution"; and some are worse (for health, etc.) than others.

Combustion was a fun class in college!
 
PAUL161

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Bought the wife a new car in 2019 and noticed yesterday it only has 2400 miles on it! I guess it'll be around here for a while! :highly_amused:
 
LarryK

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Understand that. But, even my 96 Disco 1 had fewer emissions than the American cars being 20 yrs old. I did emission testing and was amazed that the newer cars with all the air quality were allowed higher ppms than the older cars. Even my tuned Jags had less emissions than a new Cadillac with the computer system. My college professors could only say it is what the government says not science.
 
LarryK

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PAUL161, does it have an expiration date?
 
Popeye

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Interesting - did not know that the allowable for new is less than old! Learn something new every day!!
 
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mikephillips

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The old 1999 daily drive lasted about 20 ½ years before I had electrical issues that seems to be either a failing computer or wiring. Either way they were talking $1500 to figure out the problem and another 4-5k to fix it. Had to draw the line at spending that much for a car essentially worth almost nothing in sale or trade terms. Particularly since it was a stick and not many but us experienced folks know how to drive one any more. So bought a 2020 Corolla and now a year and a half into it, just cracked 9k miles due to work from home and everywhere being closed over the last near year.
 
OP
Bayless

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My daily is a 1998 Explorer with 108k miles. I guess it is probably carbon negative by now.
 
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Trevor Triumph

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Regarding the exhaust gases... I was doing research for a graduate class fifteen years ago. The paper was about teen suicide - the evidence was that since the newer cars produce fewer nasty emissions, fewer people were dying from the CO poison. The thought was that the exhaust was clean enough that the people were discovered before damage was done.

T.T.
 
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