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There is certainly a lot of comfort in knowing the car will be exactly where you left it last night so you can load your kids up to go to school, go to the hospital, evacuate in an emergency etc.

Also, cars are status symbols. Everyone has a phone with a clock on it, but watches still haven't disappeared entirely. Going driverless won't suddenly convince everyone to stop liking their cars and prefer generic Uber vehicles.

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Even if it's not a status thing you buy vehicles with the features you want, equip them for outdoor sports, store gear in them, etc. And, as you say, if I really need a vehicle in a hurry because of an emergency or just because I'm running late I really don't want to fiddle with a mobile app.

Yes, I prefer that too. But do I prefer it by tens of thousands of dollars? Maybe not.

All the mileage-related costs are still there though. You're probably overestimating the degree to which simple age (and time value of money) dominates car cost. It is admittedly greater in states with snow--and hence salt on the roads in the winter.

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