Re: [AMC-list] cash for clunkers

[adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Sandwich Maker)]

" From: Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxx>
" 
" The idea that an entire car could be recycled AS a car again got
" me to wondering about cost and such a few years ago.  I did a bit
" of research (admittedly with a lot of "guesstimates" for some
" pricing, but based on reasonable research) on that.  The goal was
" to take a fairly common mass-market car like the GM A body (82-96
" Chevy Celebrity, Pontiac 6000, Olds Ciera/Cutlass Cruiser, Buick
" Century) and totally rebuild them into like-new cars.
" []
" 
" The problem was cost.  What you'd end up with is a remanufactured
" mid size car for the cost of a brand new small car.

that's still a win in size for dollar, and public perception can be
very blind.  if 'common knowledge' circulates that 'they're not quite
reliable' [as i'm sure new-car dealers would try], customers would
stay away in droves; but if that doesn't happen i'd bet most
prospective customers wouldn't realize the cars were recycled unless
and until you told them.

many of todays cars seem scarcely designed for repair, but disposal is
certainly off the maker's radar; after the car leaves their factory
it's no longer their problem.  economic success might require cars
designed for recycling and/or remanufacture from the start, and it
might require an industry less focused on replacing 'old' cars with
new.  that's where the eu 'green' law would provide motivation - force
makers to include disposal costs in their prices.  design for
remanufacture would partially cannibalize new-car sales but it could
be the cheapest way to dispose of old cars.  otoh on a really large
scale the same assembly plants could be reused, after cars were
dismembered and components rebuilt.

this is an interesting idea though, and much farther than i'd thought
of taking it.  what i had in mind was just design for disassembly and
materials recovery - eg. recyclable plastics vs. plastic alloys that
can only be buried, burned, or [maybe] run through the refinery again
- to minimize labor and landfill impact in car disposal.
________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Hay                                  the genius nature
internet rambler                            is to see what all have seen
adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx                       and think what none thought
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