Greener cars

Newer is not necessarily greener, and fuel economy is not the last word on emissions ["Cash for Clunkers," editorial, June 23]. Roughly 10 percent of a car's lifetime emissions is produced in manufacturing; an additional 5 percent comes from recycling the vehicle at the end. Often, junking an old car for a new one is less environmentally sound than driving a lower- mileage vehicle a few years longer.

The driver of a decade-old midsize sedan who scraps it two years earlier than planned will not so much as break even environmentally unless the car is driven more than 20,000 miles per year. Even then, buying a used vehicle is often the more prudent choice, financially and environmentally.

"Cash for Clunkers" will not guide people toward more fuel-efficient vehicles; even many sport-utility vehicles qualify. It simply puts more people in new cars.

Bad for the environment, bad for the budget, but good for the auto industry. Washington's stake in Detroit does appear to make a difference.

from the washington post