> If you take a broader lens, having a private vehicle is an expensive hobby for the rich.

That might be true if you are in SF, NY, Toronto, London or some other major metropolitan with a good public transportation network. However for a large number of places in North America including metropolitans like LA, San Diego, Minneapolis, Dallas, having a car is almost as necessary as anything as that is the only way to get around the city without spending half a day in public transit.

> having a private vehicle is an expensive hobby for the rich.

Having a car is not a hobby when you live outside of a very dense city center. That's just the tool that enables you to live.

I tend to think of "expensive hobby" as meaning you do it for fun rather than for practical reasons.

While I know that some car owners do just have it for fun, I think a lot more are because it's useful.