I will probably remain a holdout for personal vehicle ownership even if the economics don't work out, but I think in my case they don't, anyway. 2006 Audi A4,

I will probably remain a holdout for personal vehicle ownership even if the economics don't work out, but I think in my case they don't, anyway. 2006 Audi A4, paid off (worth about $12k as it sits), with 126k miles. $300/yr reg, $600/yr comprehensive/collision/liability insurance. I spent about $600 every 2 years on tires (so, $300/yr), $500-1000/yr on maintenance otherwise, and drive about 20k miles/yr. Free parking at home; $260/mo parking in SF, and $4-6 bridge tolls about 20 times a month. I get about 22mpg with premium gas, so $4.20/gal or so in California. I think my costs are around $0.40/mi. In any case, less than $0.57/mi, so it's "free" when reimbursed. Plus I actually like driving. Being able to go from home to office in 17 minutes off-peak, or ~30 minutes 98th percentile traffic, vs. 50+ miles via transit, and not having to be around SF people for 2h/day: worth every penny. (Also, having earthquake, colo-emergency, etc. stuff stashed in the trunk all the time, and a huge battery and generator for laptop, cell, etc.)