Some genius ran the numbers and figured out cars cost money even after you buy them. Insurance exists. Gas costs money. Things break. The total comes to $5,851 a year. This is apparently news.
Millions of people signed loan documents without adding up what happens next. They saw the monthly payment and called it a day. Nobody mentioned the part where you have to insure a depreciating asset or fill it with liquified dinosaurs every week or replace the brake pads when they turn into dust. Turns out ownership has ongoing costs. Revolutionary stuff.
The analysis treats maintenance like a surprise expense. Your car has moving parts made of metal that grind against other metal while exploding gasoline thousands of times per minute. What did you think was going to happen? The thing was going to run forever on good vibes and Spotify playlists?
Gas alone probably accounts for half that number if you drive more than six feet. Insurance companies looked at your credit score and driving record and decided you are a liability worth monetizing. Mechanics see you coming from three blocks away. None of this required an analysis. It required fourth grade math and a calendar.
But here we are. Breaking down the cost of car ownership for people who own cars. Next week someone will publish a study confirming that groceries cost money and you have to buy them more than once. The week after that we will learn that rent is due every month, not just the first time.
The real story is that thousands of people read this headline, felt attacked by basic arithmetic, and immediately started a spreadsheet they will abandon in four days.
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
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