A different type of ‘green’:
Buying a hybrid or very efficient new vehicle is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and save on gas. But there is an alternative: buying used. Hybrids may get great gas mileage, but it takes 113 million BTUs of energy to make a Toyota Prius. Because there are about 113,000 BTUs of energy in a gallon of gasoline, the Prius has consumed the equivalent of 1,000 gallons of gasoline before it reaches the showroom. That is a lot of carbon, and it would take many miles to make up for that. As long as the used car is relatively fuel efficient, the debt has already been paid.
Former leases:
To avoid penalties at the end of a lease, drivers must keep the car clean, under a certain number of miles, and well maintained. Used cars that were formerly leased are often a good value because of their excellent condition.
As leases have become popular, large numbers of well-maintained, 2- to 3-year-old cars are coming off lease in increasing numbers. These vehicles practically qualify as new, even in appearance; an added bonus is they usually are still covered by the remainder of their original warranties.
True savings:
We all know used cars cost less than new ones. But if you look at the overall owner costs you can see an even greater value. Depreciation, fuel usage, insurance, interest on financing, maintenance and repairs, and sales tax are all factors that make buying a used car worth it. The average trade-in is only 4 1/2 years old with just 41,000 miles on it. This results in a lot of good cars available with lots of life left in them. Used vehicles that are later models are often the best values you'll find in the automotive market. Not only is the price lower than a comparable new car, but ownership expenses are simply lower.
Finding Used Cars in Levittown
Levittown is a census-designated place (CDP) and suburban community in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. not a municipality, it is commonly recognized as the largest suburb of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania except for Upper Darby Township. Levittown is comprised of 41 neighborhoods, locally called "sections". It is not an incorporated place, though efforts in the early 1950s were made to incorporate. Some Levittown residents feared that incorporation would lead to higher taxes, by robbing the prospective municipality of a commercial tax base. Levittown is unique in that it is a suburban community planned and built by Levitt & Sons. The majority of the land on which it is built was purchased in 1951. Houses built in Levittown consisted of just six models. Levitt & Sons constructed only single-family dwellings in the community, each surrounded by a lawn, with only modest exterior variations, modern in style, with built-in appliances and landscaping. The homes were moderately priced and required only a low down payment.
Construction of Levittown began in February 1952, soon after completion of Levittown, New York, located on Long Island. Levittown, Pennsylvania was the second "Levittown" built by William J. Levitt, who is often credited as the creator of the modern American suburb.
What set Levittown apart from other developments at the time was that it was built as a complete community. Levitt & Sons designed neighborhoods with traffic-calming curvilinear roads, in which there were no four-way intersections. Each neighborhood had within its boundaries a site donated by Levitt & Sons for a public elementary school. Locations for churches and other public facilities were set aside on main thoroughfares such as the Levittown Parkway. Other amenities included Olympic-sized public pools, parks, "greenbelts," baseball fields and playgrounds, and a shopping center located in Tullytown Borough that was considered large and modern at the time of its construction.