Auto Lifespan
We remember when those hybrid critics stacked the deck. They claimed, quite arbitrarily I thought, that a “car” lasts 100,000 miles while a “truck” lasts 250,000 miles. Those convenient assumptions lead to calculations showing a lower per-mile energy costs for a Hummer H3 than for a Toyota Prius.
Someone just happened to report the real numbers:
The improvements are helping cars’ longevity. In 1977, half of all U.S. passenger cars lasted until they were 10.5 years old, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates. Their travel lifetime was 107,000 miles. By 2001 — the latest year tallied — median longevity was 13 years for passenger cars and their travel lifetime was up to 152,000 miles.
For light trucks, the mileage rose from 128,000 to 180,000, reports NHTSA, but longevity remained 14 years, largely because more trucks were being used like cars.
So if you want to be honest guys, run it again with 152,000 miles for cars and 180,000 miles for trucks. Or even better, get from the NHTSA the numbers for the actual models you are considering.
Update: Note that with 152,000 and 180,000, trucks are lasting 18% longer than cars. When they use 100,000 and 250,000 they are arguing for a 250% longer life than cars – clearly not supported by the NHTSA data!