The AAA figured last year, when gas was relatively cheap -- about $1.94 a gallon -- that driving a new Dodge minivan 15,000 miles would cost $8,293 for the year, including about $1,335 for gas. AAA figured in maintenance, tires, insurance, license, registration, taxes, depreciation and finance charges. AAA apparently assumed, though it didn't specifically say so, that the van got around 22 miles per gallon.
Last year I drove a Honda Accord to and from work all year long and on a few long trips. I probably put about 15,000 miles on the car. Gas prices during that time ranged from about $2.25 to about $3.00. I'll say $2.75 to be fair. The Accord averages about 31 mpg. I also spent about $600 on insurance, $1500 on repairs, $130 on oil changes, and I'll even toss in the car stereo I bought for $110. I paid the state of VA about $50 for registration, the county of Hanover about $25 for a decal, and the county about $400 in property taxes. That's all I can think of to keep the car running all year. Total: $4146. No finance charges (paid it off 8 years ago), and I'm ignoring depreciation because it's 11 years old.
So unless everyone is driving around in newish cars that get mileage in the low 20s, AAA's figures may be a bit inflated.
And yet, I still would take Metro if there were such a thing around here.