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If it were true that more efficient cars were cheaper overall, people would prefer to buy them without any regulation required. That regulation is required imp
by jstanley 9y ago
If it were true that more efficient cars were cheaper overall, people would prefer to buy them without any regulation required.
That regulation is required implies that is not the case.
- Broken_Hippo 9y agoRegulation being required is only a sign that some of the companies aren't willing to produce such cars without regulation. People aren't always rational about price. You might want a more efficient car, but those are newer. You have $1000 and your older car just broke. The repairs cost more than the money you have, and you need to get to work. You would like a nice, efficient car but in your price range, you get gas guzzlers. Oh well, it is better than losing your job. There are lots of factors like this folks face when purchasing things. Overall cost isn't always a factor even when it should be in a perfect world .
- opencl 9y agoCheap cars aren't gas guzzlers though. There are plenty of cheap cars with good fuel economy. The absolute cheapest new car you can buy in the US today (Nissan Versa) gets 31 city/39 highway. If you have $1000 you can buy a 20 year old Corolla, they get 31 city/38 highway. The main problem is not cheap cars being gas guzzlers, it's everyone insisting on buying far larger vehicles than they actually need.
- larkeith 9y agoOne crucial factor to consider is that people are really, really bad at long-term planning - even if a more efficient vehicle would pay itself off relatively quickly, many people might go for the less expensive option, thanks to the immediate reward.
- donatj 9y agoGenerally speaking they don’t pay themselves off. I buy $1-$3k cars every ~4 years. No amount of gas savings would justify a $30k car. It’s simply opulence.