
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, July 20, 1993                   TAG: 9307200042
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

AAA: COST OF DRIVING NOW 38.7 CENTS A MILE

The cost of owning and operating a new car is up 0.2 cent a mile since the end of March, averaging 38.7 cents, the American Automobile Association said Monday.

The increase brings the total average yearly expenditure to $5,805, based on 15,000 miles of driving.

The average per-mile cost is determined by combining operating and fixed costs. During the second quarter of 1993, motorists paid an average 9.16 cents per mile in operating costs, which includes gasoline, oil, maintenance and tires. Fixed costs, which include insurance, depreciation, registration, taxes and financing, averaged $12.13 a day, the motor club said.

AAA's cost estimates are based on a composite national average for three domestically built new cars: a subcompact Ford Escort LX, a mid-size Ford Taurus GL and a full-size Chevrolet Caprice Classic.

New England, at 40.3 cents per mile, was the most expensive region in which to own and operate a car. The Midwest was the least expensive at 37.1 cents. Other regional costs were: West and Mid-Atlantic, both 39.1 cents; Southwest, 38.7 cents; Great Lakes, 37.9 cents; and Southeast, 37.7 cents.

by CNB