[ganley]

Where'd you get that figure? AAA says 71c/mile, or $7100/year if you drive 10K miles, and that's an average, meaning it's possible to do much better.

Otherwise, I agree with you in principle, but living in a city with great public transportation isn't an option for everyone.

As for the original analysis, the point where maintenance costs exceed the value of the vehicle is irrelevant. I typically drive cars way past the point where they're basically worthless; as long as the maintenance costs are under a couple of thousand a year, I figure I'm better off than I would be buying a replacement.

[eru]

Why? Getting a used replacement that's just a bit better than your old worthless car should be more or less free.