To Buy or Not to Buy…that is the question.

When trying to live a sustainable lifestyle, it seems that the answer to the question of whether we should buy something new is almost always “NO.”

But when driving around in my 12-year old, 174,000+ mile vehicle that has fairly frequent (and sizable) repair bills, it is a question that comes up in our household again and again.

We love our Volvo. It has served us well. And considering its size, the 23 to 24 miles per gallon that it gets on average is pretty impressive. We’ve even come across several hybrid models – trucks and SUVs – that don’t get that good of gas mileage.

Yet it is still very tempting to think about a new car.  Ahh, the new car smell; no stains on the seats; buttons, gadgets, and levers all in working order. Hmmm, that sounds so nice!

And hybrids make the idea of a new car even more tempting because of the great mileage and lower emissions that many of the manufacturers boast about; however, there is the issue of the hefty carbon footprint left from manufacturing and shipping hybrids because of their dual engines. After doing some research, I found out that an estimated 28% of a vehicles carbon footprint occurs before an owner even gets the vehicle.

OK, so obviously we don’t have a set answer yet on whether to buy or not to buy a new car; however, the wisdom of my most trusted resources tells me that to keep an older car (as long as it is well-maintained and gets decent mileage) is the preferred choice over buying a new car. Guess it may be a while before the old Volvo is put to pasture.