Cars With A Conscience: The Ethical Decisions To Make When Buying A Vehicle
When it comes time to buy a new vehicle for yourself, there is so much that you need to make sure you are considering. You want to end up with a car which is going to offer you the kind of performance you enjoy, the space and size you need, and the design that you feel looks good on you. But in today’s world, there is so much more that will go into your decision of which car to buy, and one of the main concerns is the ethical side. There are actually a number of ethical decisions you need to try and make when you are buying a car, and in this article we are going to look at the most important ones. Consider these issues, and you should find that you are buying with a conscience.
Second-Hand Or Brand New?
One of the most important issues here is whether you are going to buy a brand new car or go for a second-hand one. The truth is that there is no easy answer as to which is going to be more ethical, as it depends on the specific cars that you are looking at. However, there are some generalizations that we can draw, and it is worth doing so if it means coming to terms with which is going to be the more ethical choice most of the time. Is it generally better to buy a brand new car or go second hand?
Overall, most people would say that it is better to go second-hand. That’s because with used cars, you are not encouraging new cars to be built. You are merely making use of the ones already there. The fewer cars that are built, the fewer fossil fuels are burned in the process of doing so. If we were to all avoid buying new cars, it would certainly cause a reduction in carbon emissions from the factories. Even just you making the decision on one car can be an important part of that.
The Question Of Emissions
There is one area in which a used car is not going to be quite as ethical, however, and that is when it comes to emissions. An older car will generally produce more emissions as it runs, meaning that it is going to be worse off for the planet in that way. A newer car, conversely, will not produce anywhere near as much as an older car, and so you will probably find that it is going to be better in that respect. But it’s not a straightforward decision, as we have seen, as newer cars are also going to add to the same problem when they are built in the first place. It’s all about weighing up the options and doing what you think is right.
Electric Cars: The Way Ahead?
It probably won’t be long before most of us are driving electric cars. There is no doubt that these are much better for the planet, as they obviously don’t produce any emissions at all. At the moment, however, they are prohibitively expensive, so most of us don’t have the opportunity to get hold of one. However, in the years to come they will gradually become more and more accessible to ordinary people, and as that happens it is likely that you will end up buying one in the near future. That is going to mean a much more ethical choice is then available, at which point you would be considered insane for going for one of the older style fuel cars. For now, you might only make the decision to buy an electric car if you happen to have a fair amount of cash spare, or you don’t mind getting one on finance.
Size Matters
Finally, it’s also important to talk about the size of the vehicle. Larger vehicles are obviously going to have more of an impact on the planet, so you should aim to get hold of a vehicle which is only the size you need. That means that you need to work out what kind of size that actually is, which is not something that necessarily comes easily. If you have a family, you might need a slightly larger car, but even then it is possible that you can stick to something relatively modest, and you don’t need to go overboard. Be sensible here, as it will really make a huge difference to the kind of impact your vehicle has on the world.