I should soon be replacing my '88 S-10 Blazer 4wd with a FEH, and my average FE should at least double. (15mpg --> 30+ mpg). Now I'm debating what to do with the Blazer when I get the FEH. It's in good mechanical condition, 211k miles, just passed Calif. smog test, so I'd expect it to be usable for at least another couple of years. KBB value is about $1600. If it was 4 years older, Calif would buy it back for early retirement, but that's only for '84 and older.
If I sell it and it remains on the road, am I not diluting the positive effects of driving the FEH by allowing the Blazer to continue guzzling gas for a new owner?
We traded in the wife's '95 s-10 Blazer for our FEH. The outside trim was falling apart, the windshield was busted, and the paint no longer shined. But, man, did that thing run good! Everything worked still, and it had all the bells and whistles. So I would just trade it in if you can get at least 1000 for it.
Unless you are on a crusade to singlehandedly save the planet, I would either trade it in or sell it. The car still has value to you (and someone else that maybe can't afford a new car). Besides, if it passed the smog test it isn't polluting any worse than some of the new SUV's that are being sold now. My '04 Escape only got 16-17 mpg and I didn't think twice about trading it in (obviously).
You could always donate it to a charity and take the tax writeoff. Although since the IRS smartened up that isn't as good of a deal as it once was.
If it does end up staying on the road, I wouldn't think of it as diluting the positive affect of getting a hybrid. You are doing your part, not everyone is able to do that.
Interesting philosophical dilemma. As you say, your old S-10 will still be on the road polluting if you trade it in. However, you have to look at the big picture…
There are only so many cars on the road. This is because there are only so many drivers. Most drivers, at any given time, will own a car and will drive that car most of the time. What car will they buy? A car that fits their desires, needs, and financial situation. Take your S-10. If you trade your S-10 in, it will eventually be bought by someone whose needs and desires will be satisfied by the S-10 and because they can afford it. After they buy your old S-10, how many cars will be on the road? All other things being equal, the same number as before. Yet, because you purchased an FEH, the sum total of pollution has dropped by one car or more. In other words, as the years roll by we replace the old gas guzzlers with newer, more efficient cars. You should be confident that your purchase of the FEH in fact positively impacts the average gas mileage of the US auto population as much as any one individual can.
Different but related subject: This is a philosophical dilemma that we will see in our society more and more over the coming years in a lot of different sectors. Transportation is on the verge of a disruptive transition. I believe that automobiles are destined to get a lot more efficient over the next 20 years, while at the same time the cost will not be much more than what we pay today. The problem is that the cars we buy today will lose value even faster because no one will want to buy a 3 year old car that gets 30 mpg if they can buy a new one that gets 300 mpg for essentially the same price. It’s a marketing problem as well. Manufacturers will have to walk a fine line pricing new, far more efficient cars so as not to gut the used car market. The good news is that new car sales will boom and that means we will see improvements on fuel economy as well as reduced pollution far faster that the pessimists are predicting. Interesting note, the European Union has already legislated that cars must be recyclable by at least 85% by weight (95% by 2015). Looks like some forward thinking to me.
Think of it this way. The environmental cost of that vehicle includes the costs of the energy, and materials used to make it. Most of a car is recyclable.... how much gets recycled is another story. Most of the sheet metal is... And the plastics MIGHT be but I doubt they end up in cars again....
If you just throw away the car you are also damaging the environment by not getting full utilization out of the materials/energy already expended assembling that vehicle.
I'm not sure which works out worse... but its more than just a matter of air pollution from the gas burned.
When you trade it in, you could tuck a note in the owner's manual with the address for this &/or similar sites, so that the new owner could learn how to maximize his/her fuel economy, if so inclined.
You may not be able to trade it in. When I bought my FEH, I was replacing an 88 Toyota SR5 XtraCab 4x4 in good condition, running really well, street value ~$3000.
The dealer wouldn't even look at it. They said that once a vehicle is over 10 years old, it's not worth it for them to deal with trying to turn it around for resale. That's in NYC, though so you may have better luck (if that's the way you decide to go).
We traded in our '92 Explorer 4wd. The dealer only offered $1000 for it, and it looked great. However, we did not want to hassle with selling a 13year old SUV with 210,000 miles on it. We love our '05 FEH AWD. Quiet, good power, even loaded with camping gear going over Sonora pass (mostly 10 to 15% grades, with a section of 27% grade, 9,624 ft)
Retiring a Gas Guzzler ?
my FEH 
