Average cost of car ownership now $8946 per year

And you thought it was expensive to just buy a car these days.
The average cost to operate a vehicle in the United States is now $8,946 annually, according to the 2012 edition of AAA’s Your Driving Costs study.
That’s an increase of 1.9 percent over 2011 and encompasses the full cost of ownership, including fuel, maintenance and tire wear among other factors.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/05/04/average-cost-car-ownership-now-846-per-year/

Thank goodness this is from Fox

Bull shit, I just added up what I've had done to my car in the past year and I over estimated the gas purchases and I'm at about a third of that amount.

edit: Well it does say "average". I guess I'm just below average. I do a lot of stuff myself and for stuff I can't do I go to small local garages. I suppose if you buy expensive tires, have one of those oil change places change your oil every 3,000 miles (which is entirely too often), take you car to a dealer for all maintenance and service (can you say labor cost?). It can really add up.

MSU

I know, that seems really high. I am no where near that either.

Don't forget insurance, fuel, depreciation, etc. Maintenance costs are only a small portion of the total. How about the cost of the garage or carport that the car lives in? Even the depreciating value of that amounts to something.

I think if all costs are factored in the figure they listed is quite likely. Remember, most people are making payments on their vehicle.

Dave

That's why I edited my post and said that I must be below average. I have no car payment, if it depreciates any more it will be worth nothing, my insurance is only $700 a year. You can't add the cost of a garage into that figure since your house has a garage anyway, or most do, whether you have a car or not. All I know is that it costs me, and a few other here, no where near that amount per year.

MSU

There is no such thing as an average driver. I used to drive about 20,000 miles a year, buty for the last decade I have averaged about 6,000 miles a year.

By the way, I'm sure insurance and accident losses are figured into that "average".

Shelly

That sounds really high.
I have been using a car for a long time and I have never had to
spend that much in one year to operate.

That must be for people who have just bought a bran new car on
a really high note and really steep car insurance

I bought my car (a reliable used car) flat out right several years
ago so I have no car payment
my car gets 30 miles per gallon and my car insurance is
cheap because i have a near perfect driving record
the cost for me to operate my car is WAY LOWER than that.

Fox... It's Obama's fault.