choices Archives » The Mindful Consumer

Green Wheels — How to Buy a Eco-Friendly Car on Budget

A couple of years ago I traded a minivan for an elderly Corolla. It recently became time to retire those four wheels into assisted living, as my 70-mile daily commute was simply more than she could handle. I left her is the able hands of my college son, who no matter how hard he might try, is way too busy to drive even one-tenth of that. Plus he was willing to pay to keep it running, so no more skin off my wallet.

But I digress. Again I was faced with a consumer decision that was going to have repercussions every day for several years. What could I get within my budget? How could I balance the tradeoff between mileage and price? How could I reduce my carbon footprint with this purchase, or at the least keep it about the same?

I approached the process with over-analysis and a ridiculous amount of research that I’m known to exhibit in such situations. (Of course one first should evaluate alternative methods for transportation. For me, driving is the only viable option.) Yet I had a process, and the outcome was one with which I am content.

Step 1. Establish a budget. I defined a price range. Then I lowered it because I decided I didn’t want to spend so much on a car. My line in the sand was $100/month.

Step 2. Keep to the budget. Buying a car is an emotional experience. We’re culturally convinced that what we drive is an extension of who we are. The automobile industry has spent the last half-century telling us that a car is more than transportation. So we tend to see cars as more than transportation. Which makes it easy to lose one’s discipline in the process and overextend financially.

Step 3. Review how you will use the vehicle. My analysis showed I would be alone in the car commuting for 95% of the miles. No hauling a bunch of kids or junk. No super long trips.

Step 4. Calculate monthly gas expense at different MPG rates, based on your driving patterns. With the high cost of gas, most of us need to budget for gas. Seeing the real amount is helpful. Remember to consider hybrids, not only from their gas savings advantages but also their tax advantages. And consider manual transmission, as it is both a gas saver and price reducer. For my commute, a 10 MPG difference at current gas prices means a one-dollar difference each direction each day. While that does not seem like a significant amount by the time I pay off my four year loan it would have made (at least) a $1,900 difference.

Step 5. Based on usage and MPG, determine car type. I decided on a small sedan or coupe.

Step 6. Find the mileage and year ranges that fit your criteria.

Step 7. Read independent reviews of cars that meet your selection criteria. Consumer Reports online and Edmunds.com are credible sources.

Step 8. Narrow down to a few makes, models, mileage combinations.

Step 9. Shop! Besides Edmunds, I found Cars.com useful. I also searched online inventories of the largest local used-car dealerships. And look at the Carfax for those you seriously consider; it shows accident repairs and previous ownership specifics. Most dealers I came across offered the Carfax for free. It was important to test drive several cars; I tried the Hyundai Elantra, Honda Fit, Nissan Sentra,Toyota Corolla, Toyota Yaris/Echo, and others.

Step 9. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. If it doesn’t meet your selection criteria, don’t buy it. I liked the Elantra a lot, but couldn’t find one in my price range for the model years that it was decent. Honda Fit was OK but seemed overpriced, even used. After much looking around, Sara found an Echo online. She had run around with a friend in one years ago and remembered it well. So we drove across the river, looked at it, and drove it.

But it was a manual transmission (5 speed)! I had not driven one in decades, yet I has owned two manual-transmission cars in my early car owning days. Our embarrassed sales guy had to call another because he couldn’t drive it to take us for a spin. I ended up taking it for a test drive anyway and it WAS like riding a bicycle — I remembered how.

Step 10. Buy it. We tried to haggle with the no-haggle dealership, but to no avail. But it was a good deal — excellent condition for a 2003; 63,000 miles, two owners. Most importantly it met my needs within my budget.

The Echo with it’s 4 cylinder, 1.5 liter engine gets 40 MPG, which is the amount touted in advertisements for the NEW Scion. Plus it’s fun to drive. It won’t win many races but has decent acceleration and handling. The windows are manual and there’s no cruise control. It’s not a status symbol in the traditional ways. Yet I like it and feel right about the decision.

September 19, 2012Ron ExlerPermalink

Green Options Shouldn’t be Higher Priced than the Alternatives

Yesterday Sara and I were shopping at the grocery store and one of the things we needed was glass cleaner. Normally I grab the lowest price alternative for an item such as this. However, some labeling pulled my eyes to green alternatives. In some, vinegar is the main ingredient rather than ammonia and chemicals. There were some cleaners from “eco=friendly” companies. But for the same size the cost range was 100 percent different. The least expensive was the store generic brand copycat of the standard blue glass cleaner while the most expensive was the one from the eco-friendly company. I settled on the vinegar-based alternative of one of the leading brands. It’s cost was only 10% higher than the lowest.

But I was irritated in the store. People WANT to use green products, however studies show a much lower proportion actually BUY green alternatives. In one research study, while 40% of consumers indicated they are willing to purchase green products, only 4% of them actually do when given the choice. Well, no wonder; so many are priced higher than the alternatives — and not by a little in many cases. The same study showed 3 of 5 consumers think environmentally friendly alternatives are too expensive. You want organic? Eco-friendly? Fuel efficient? Less packaging? Pay up. It’s as if those pricing products think green is a category about which only the wealthy care.

Of course there are economics involved affecting the product lifecycle. Lower costs can lead to lower prices. Efficiencies in manufacturing the old ways are inherent. Green products might use ingredients that are more expensive. But always? I doubt it. Instead, it seems buyers accept the higher prices so those selling have no motivation to adjust. Relatively low demand for green alternatives might be driven by price differences, especially in this economy.

Back to my glass cleaner experience, perhaps using good old Windex would be fine. SC Johnson claims to now make its Windex glass cleaner with 83% fewer VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Like many companies it has a sustainability initiative that includes a process to classify ingredients based on their affects on health and the environment. Or I could make my own glass cleaner from water, vinegar, and rubbing alcohol.

Sustainability initiatives and green alternatives are meaningful. In addition, manufacturers would be wise to evaluate the longer term effects of their eco-friendly product pricing, considering that more sales and product success will result, at least in part, from a broader consumer base. As long as green alternatives cost more, people will use them less.

December 30, 2010Ron ExlerPermalink 1 Comment

Least Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants

No Vegetables

Vegetarian menu choices in restaurants not only accommodate to those who are vegetarian, but also those who want to eat a meatless meal for health, religious, or conscientious reasons. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, if every American cut out one meat meal a week, it would be the emissions equivalent of taking five million cars off the road. Ron and I are both vegetarians, and although we can usually find quite a few options for us at every restaurant, here are a few restaurants out of my personal experience that are the least-vegetarian friendly.

1. Red Lobster. With a lobster tank to greet you as you walk in the door, and little on the menu besides an Alfredo pasta with the meat left off, this restaurant gives little for the consumer who does not want meat on his or her plate.

2. Applebee’s. Unless you want to eat fat-laden appetizers, there is hardly anything on the menu. You can modify salads and pasta without the meat, but the dressing on the Oriental chicken salad has chicken fat in it! I don’t know about your neighborhood grill and bar, but I don’t think I need animal fat in my salad dressing.

3. Lucille’s BBQ. Besides ordering side dishes, there are two vegetarian sandwiches in a menu of 50+ items. Although two is better than none, you can get more vegetarian options at a drive-thru than here.

4. Hard Rock Cafe. With vegetarian rock stars like Paul McCartney, BB King, David Bowie, Anthony Keidis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, and Travis Barker of Blink 182 you’d think the restaurant would have more on the menu besides a veggie burger. We ate there yesterday and cannot imagine going back again.

One doesn’t need to be vegetarian to order it at a restaurant. Trying vegetarian restaurants, or even vegetarian options on the menu helps the consumer be more aware of the options, flavors, and variety that comes with vegetarianism as well as the ethical, ecological and health benefits. Good vegetarian dishes in restaurants can help inspire good vegetarian dishes at home. The restaurants that choose to serve a frozen veggie patty or feel that appetizers, french fries and side salads are acceptable meals will continue to lose both the respect, and patronage of those who choose meatless options (whether always, or just sometimes). Choosing meatless does not have to be all-or-nothing to reap benefits, but you do need to eat somewhere that gives you a choice.

May 3, 2010Sara ExlerPermalink Leave a comment