caption: Slide 4 of 9: Have your driving needs changed? Can you get by with one car instead of two, or two instead of three? If so, sell the unneeded car. You'll pocket some money and save yourself thousands of dollars every year going forward. Owning and operating a car costs about $9,282 per year, on average, AAA says. If you're not ready to sell a car, consider renting it out through a service like <PERSON>. You'll recoup some cash that you can put toward all those operating expenses -- or save what you earn or invest.