> this "long run" comparison of owning and repairing versus buying a new car is just silly. So many people have the incentive to get you to buy a new car, but p

> this "long run" comparison of owning and repairing versus buying a new car is just silly. So many people have the incentive to get you to buy a new car, but practically no one has an incentive to tell you to take good care of the things you own so they last. I don't think the comparison is so absurd. The result can vary a lot based on where you live - how hard the weather is on the car, how much a mechanic charges per hour, how strict the smog/inspection regulations are. In San Francisco maintenance/repairs are $150/hour at an independent shop. A former colleague and I worked out that the 10+ year old used cars we both drove ended up costing almost exactly the same in depreciation and maintenance as leasing a new Subaru Outback. They only worked out cheaper overall because we could forego the comprehensive insurance required for a lease. I'd switched to a job that required commuting more than 15k miles a year by the time mine failed its smog test and needed to be replaced (a CARB compliant replacement catalytic converter would have been almost as much as I'd paid for the car) so got another old used car. He ended up leasing when his car died.