Most of you have heard of Total Cost of Ownership. Put simply, it's the life-cycle cost of owning any commodity.

Let's take something near and dear to our hearts: cars.

Without getting into a debate on which car is more green, I submit that total cost of ownership is a decent indicator of a car's "green" value.

This sort of makes sense when one considers that gas is the main expense of owning an automobile: The lower the total cost of ownership, the more fuel efficient the car.

This also applies with respect to how much car you're getting, as all that metal, plastic, glass, and upholstery costs money, and a smaller car is, all things considered, usually cheaper, and because of it's size, usually more of a sipper than a guzzler.

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"We live in symbiosis with our planet. If we destroy our planet, we destroy ourselves." - Mugs

"Staying young requires the unceasing cultivation of the ability to unlearn old falsehoods." - Heinlein

I've got a '96 Accord (get this, dark green) that gets about 33mpg. Paid off years ago with very little maintenance costs I consider it the best vehicle I own. As it has been sitting in the garage the last few years I can't say for certain how low my total cost has been, but it's quite low I think.

My '05 Odyssey on the other hand doesn't do so good: 24mpg at best.
I'll pay it off sooner than later and intend on keeping it indefinitely so I'll lower my total cost over time.

I also have an '04 Cavalier getting 28mpg, and while it was a cheap purchase I've already had to deal with the electronics a couple of times which has driven the cost up. And I suspect that even as I continue preventive maintenance I'll not get the longevity out of this vehicle.

I expect in the next couple of years to buy a vehicle for my wife; hopefully better hybrids or more efficiency will be available.
I'd like to do this for my business vehicle as well but can't justify it at the time; again, holding out for better tech or something.

I know what you mean! I had a '79 VW rabbit diesel that got 47 mph highway, which was most of it's milage.

It was a hatchback, so it could haul quite a load, too - it easily carried all my college possessions (except my desk, chair, bed, and couch), so it came in handy when I'd come home over the summers.

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"We live in symbiosis with our planet. If we destroy our planet, we destroy ourselves." - Mugs

"Staying young requires the unceasing cultivation of the ability to unlearn old falsehoods." - Heinlein