[Aussie Mike]

I've got an answer for the so called greenies that frown at me in my big old F100 4x4 as I thunder all over the place.

1. How much polution is created when an old car is scrapped? Yes you can melt the steel down and re use it but most of the plastics and other material get burnt or burried.

2. How much energy and resources are used in the creation of a new car. Also how much polution per car do all the factories that make the parts to go into that car make? how much polution is created in the mining and manufacture of the raw materials to make those new cars?

3. How much less polution does your brand new car make in comparison to my well tuned and reasonably sweet running old vehicle? Is it really that much less?

4. How much more polution is created in the restoration and maintenence of my old vehicle? Any where near as much as in manufacturing a new car? I think not.

The conclusion is that the auto makers want to sell lots and lots of new cars because they make lots and lots of money. It's in their interests to get people out of their old cars and into a shiny new car any way they can. By blaming old cars for poluting the environment they are using consumer guilt to drive their sales up. never mind the fact that the auto companies and supporting manufacturing and resource industries are responsible for a huge percentage of the worlds polution and the use of limited resources.

For the clincher I pop the hood on the old F100 and show them that it runs on propane which is cleaner burning and produces far less emissions than even their brand new car.

I am a true greenie.

Cheers