$8,831 PARK THE CAR. RIDE THE ORANGE LINE. SAVE GOBS OF MONEY.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

What do you value more: commuting on clogged freeways or seats so close to the Staples Center court that you can read Kobe's tattoos?

Angelenos have long resisted giving up their cars for public transit, citing the time loss and hassle of riding the bus. Though you sacrifice some time and convenience, hopping a bus can reap significant economic rewards. With the new Orange Line busway opening for business today, commuters who swap a car's pink slip for a bus pass can save thousands of dollars each year.

Take an average driver living in Woodland Hills near the Orange Line's western terminus, commuting via the Red Line subway to a downtown office. If that driver is driving a 2006 Honda Accord for a 50-mile daily round trip, he'll spend roughly $9,455 per year, figuring in gasoline, insurance, depreciation and other costs. A year's worth of transit passes costs $624.

So with that $8,831 you'd save, here are just some of things you could buy.

Methodology: Calculations assume a 50-mile round-trip commute in a 3-liter V-6, automatic transmission 2006 Honda Accord getting 23 miles per gallon; $2.85 per gallon of gasoline; $65 per month in parking; 13 cents per mile for repairs; 44 cents per mile for insurance, finance and depreciation charges.

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(1 -- color) Courtside tickets for the Lakers command a princely sum of $2,100 apiece, so if you can find 'em, four friends could rub elbows with Jack Nicholson and still have money left for hot dogs, beer and parking.

(2 -- color) For the sentimental guy, you could buy your girlfriend a .75-carat diamond ring in a platinum setting from Tiffany & Co. and make her a very happy woman with very envious friends.

(3 -- color) About 154 shares of Apple Computer Inc. if you wanted to invest your money, you could also put it into 119 shares of Amgen Inc., 25 shares of Google Inc. or three shares of Berkshire Hathway Holdings-Class B.

(4 -- color) A seven-night Western Caribbean cruise to Grand Cayman, Key West and Cozumel on Disney Cruises. Two adults and two kids could get the top-of-the-line stateroom plus a veranda on the Disney Magic for a week.

(5 -- color) One year of tuition at the University of California, Los Angeles. With the leftover money, you can also pick up books and student health insurance.

(6 -- color) 14,967 pounds of chicken. At 59 cents per pound, that's 7,484 whole chickens throughout the year.

(7 -- color) 1,261 dinners at In-N-Out Burger. Those craving something a little more upscale could eat at The Old Spaghetti Factory 519 times, or take 239 trips for sushi at Katsu-Yu or sup at Arnie Morton's of Chicago 157 times.

(8 -- color) 3,396 tall lattes from Starbucks. Though you can't drink them on the bus, you'll have enough cash to buy nine javas every day of the year.