i am already at this point. i spent 1000 to get my brakes and tires done, and the next day the batterry died. before that, my coolant system broke down 3 different ways in under a year, and my window mechanism breaks every fall after the first freeze.

now my car has been sitting in the driveway untouched for almot a year, i am still paying off the brakes/tires bill, and i rely on my Ruckus to get me around town whenever weather permits. literally cheaper to make payments on my scooter then it is to keep my car on the road. plus the mileage is a godsend, get abt a hundred miles a gallon. if i lived outside of the city, or didnt have a partner with a vehicle for bad weather days, i would be fucked.

Those costs are highly variable and can be very low. I have 30+ years owning and operating automobiles in the USA, so I can speak from a well of experience on the topic.

If your car is running OK, able to operate well enough to travel in, your only cost could be gas. Some of us have cars that are paid off and low-maintenance. Insurance is required by some states, but you don't technically need it to operate the vehicle. You can also get low-cost liability-only insurance to meet the bare minimum legal requirements. Routine maintenance can be cheap if all you do is change the oil and filter - this can cost $30 or less every 5000-10000 miles if you do it yourself.

But if you're a dumbass who bought a monster truck with long financing and high payments, you're gonna have a bad time.