fuel-efficient cars fall short in cost-efficiency
Recently I had to purchase a new car (new to me, at least) due to an accident back in September. I had been driving a 2006 Impala with combined 30 mpg, and I knew that this unfortunate event had the silver lining of allowing me to talk with my money about environmental issues that matter to me.
Needless to say, I have ZERO interest or use for an SUV. Truly, most people who have an SUV have no excuse to have one except they think it looks big and cool.
Hybrids, frankly, were no option. I had $13K to work with, and I refuse to have a car payment. I’m lucky that I don’t have to make monthly payments to that, and I refuse to start by choice. Cash, up-front, and done. It’s mine.
With hybrids being not affordable (including pre-owned 2004 models, which were still fetching $15K), I looked into the Smart Cars. Affordable, but as stated in a previous post, I also refuse to drive a small, fragile vehicle that cannot ultimately protect Marc, myself, and our passengers in the event of an accident. We got incredibly lucky with the first in that the driver at fault was not driving an SUV when she t-boned us.
This week, I saw a flurry of articles online supporting my fears. Had I gotten a smaller hybrid or such, I would have been paying out the wazoo for insuring it! Turns out these cars do not stand up well in accidents, resulting in insurance premiums to cover the high personal-injury claims that such accidents cause.
Other costs leading to high insurance, as sited in the article, are maintenance and repair costs of alternative-fuel vehicles, street racing incidences, and theft rates of compact cars.
Cost is not the end-all-be-all for me, and I believe that efficient vehicles are the long-term cost-effective solution. We all still inhabit a world, however, where we can only do what our wallets allow. Still yet, the biggest point for me is safety. I actually feel like I NEED a mid-sized car just to have a CHANCE in surviving a serious impact.
Thankfully, driving smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles is becoming cool and will eventually become more affordable. Unfortunately, driving demolition monster-trucks and SUVs is also still “cool” in our culture. And in an odd world where people think it is OK to text, talk, email, and jam while driving (totally ignoring our culture’s tendency to drink and drive), we each have a lot of considerations when choosing a vehicle.
In case you hadn’t heard, I chose an almost exact replacement. Gina is salvaging other Impalas, and Lelee, a 2007 Impala, is taking care of me now.
Safe driving and sustainably yours, Ashley Sue Allen
Amen to buying a car with cash instead of car payments. I think that’s the only way to go. I agree with you about having a car in which you feel safe. The speed limit on the local highway here is 75 mph. I do not want to be squashed like a bug on a windshield. Congratulations on finding a replacement for Gina and hope that Lelee will prove to be a winner. ~ Daryl
[...] No Impact Man discusses the true cost of our cars, and Green Grounded says fuel efficient cars often fail to be cost efficient. [...]
just made my way here from Allie’s Green Answers…
i might argue that insurance companies might not want to make it easy or know enough to feel comfortable with people who want to have smaller cars. the whole concept is foreign in our nation of “bigger is better.”
so yes, while it is not cost efficient as of now…that’s just the way SUV makers and other people with interest want it.
wow…conspiracy theorist…didn’t know I was one.
I like your insights and I must agree with all you have said in your post.Safety is definitely something
ensured before hitting the road.