I am thinking of a wind system that produces electricity.
Or maybe a Honda Accord Hybrid automobile.

Things like these sometimes don't make a lot of sense.

Preserving the planet is great, but these 'green' measures sometimes cost more that it would have costed in the first place.

Take the Honda for example.
Yes, you will save on gas in the long run, but you will also spend a lot more when you purchase the car. In the end, it doesn't make much financial sense.

What do you think?

It would make sense if people kept vehicles for a extended length of time. People trade cars as fast as they trade spouses these days.

I agree about the trade-ins

it seems to me people trade in their cars right when it's time to save some money: when the loan is finished, and it's time to drive a car FOR FREE. It's pretty unwise, in my opinion, to always have a car payment.

in this regard, you make a great point