I used to believe the assumption that owning the car was better than paying for it for 3 years and then not owning anything, but if you are in a place in your life where 3 years down the road is not fully mapped out (which, let’s face it, is most of us), then renting without owning can be the financially savvy way to handle things. Especially when you consider how much of the purchase price is immediately discounted the instant you drive the car off the lot.
Another life circumstance that makes it practical: the kind of car you need when your children are first born is often different than the one you need when they’re going to school which again is different than when they are teens. Unless you’re the type of person to buy a new car every 3 years, leasing can make a lot more sense to keep up with those changes.
This is true when, and only when, the people paying for energy use are also the people paying for efficiency upgrades. Also, when the people involved are well-informed enough to understand what their options are and just how much energy each will save relative to installation cost. The former rules out nearly all renters and a good fraction of condo and apartment owners. The latter can be far more tricky than many realize, as the impacts (and feasibility) of various changes are highly dependent on the specific building in question.
Doesn’t surprise me at all. I’m registered Republican, and I’m “greener” than any Democrat I know, including my spouse and a friend who works for the Democratic party. I’ve been driving a hybrid since 2001 and using an electric lawn mower since the 1980s; but I don’t think I’m rich compared to the average BB commentator. You people pay $8 for a cup of coffee, don’t you? I can’t afford that.
Seriously? No sane person of any political POV pays $8 for a cup of coffee. Where did the stereotype come from? Admittedly, it is a thread of stereotypes.
Well, there’s this: George Bush’s Crawford Ranch house is 4,000 sq feet, is heated and cooled by geothermal pumps and collects all waste and rain water and purifies it for irrigation. Uses 25% of the energy normal for a house of that size.
Then there’s Al Gore’s 10,000 sq foot mansion, which is heated by natural gas and consumes for energy in one month than an average American home does in one year.
“It sounds like you might be confused about the difference between a political party and the individual people who were surveyed for this study.”
Huh??? These people are self identified as Republicans. That means they vote for Republicans. That means they support the policies of the part. There is no distinction.
