A complex combination of factors is driving up the cost of vehicles for all models. Regardless of the up-front costs, every driver wants a car that won’t leave them saddled with years of expensive repairs.
However, for those with both the need for speed and the funds to afford a performance car, expensive repairs are just another price to pay for a luxury ride, according to Chris Pyle, full-time virtual mechanic at JustAnswer, the expert on-demand platform.
“Normally, people who can afford the cars listed (below) can also afford the insurance, maintenance, and repairs,” said Pyle. “Middle and high-income car buyers may not have deep enough pockets to fully enjoy owning one of these cars.”
Although Pyle admits that “The American Big 3 muscle and sports cars are relatively good and not excessively expensive to maintain and repair,” as the cost of a vehicle increases, so do the repair costs.
“It is when you get into exotic ones that the repairs are crazy high. Brake jobs in excess of $1,000 and tires that are $300+ each,” Pyle said. “Hopefully, the engine or driveline does not fail. You can be looking at $30,000 or more. Sometimes even just doing basic maintenance is absurdly high.”
With that in mind, here are seven car brands (and in some cases, models to look out for in particular) that you should avoid buying unless you have a well-funded bank account. With the exception of a few outliers (e.g., Nissan’s GT-R), Pyle didn’t “pick a certain model for some of these brands because those manufacturers produce many fast cars that meet the criteria of being expensive to own.”
Nissan isn’t known for its sports cars and ranks in the middle of the pack when it comes to the cost of maintaining and repairing one of its models over its lifetime. However, as Pyle points out, the GT-R is the exception in Nissan’s lineup.
The original Nissan GT-R was first introduced in 1969 with the “Skyline” moniker attached to it. Those models are hard to find, especially the R32, which has become one of the most sought-after Nissans among collectors due to its advanced technology and impressive performance. According to Car and Driver, the most recent GT-R will set you back $123,000 to $223,000, depending on bells and whistles, and will cost you dearly for unexpected mechanical issues and collision damage.
According to CarEdge’s top 15 costliest cars to maintain list, there are more BMW models in than any other brand. BMWs require expensive maintenance of $968 on average annually, according to RepairPal, and the brand ranks 30th out of 32 car brands in the site’s reliability study. If you own any of the X-series vehicles, expect to pay at least $17,516 (for the X1) to $18,900 (for the X6 M) in repairs over ten years.
Mercedes-Benz is known for its ability to combine luxury with cutting-edge technology, as well as its premium materials and potent engines. Regrettably, the company is known for its unreliability, and fixing its models is infamously costly. Steven Elek, program leader for vehicle data analytics at Consumer Reports, stated, “Over 10 years, Mercedes-Benz models are more than double the cost to maintain and repair as those from Lincoln.” Pyle highlights the Mercedes-AMG high-performance variant as particularly expensive to repair.
Known for its rugged four-wheel-drive vehicles, Land Rovers are driven hard. On average, it will cost you $735 in annual repair costs for a Range Rover in year one and about $18,228 for maintenance and repairs during its first ten years of service, per CarEdge. Reliability has been called into question by RepairPal, which ranks Land Rover 31 out of 32 for all car brands.
Consumer Reports has more insulting things to say about Land Rover than CarEdge and RepairPal. The site ranked Land Rover the second worst car brand (behind Jeep only) with higher maintenance and repair costs than choosing any other brand, partly due to its models’ expensive, exclusive parts.
Overall, 51.17% of Porsche owners will need a major fix within the first ten years of ownership. This is 16.08% more likely than other brands in the same price range, according to CarEdge. As far as models go, you would think that pricier 911s would cost more to fix, but it’s the Cayenne and the Macan that are the two most expensive Porsches to maintain, with the larger and more powerful Cayenne costing a little more to buy new and to repair over time ($20,552 over ten years vs. $20,137).
Bentley’s sought-after Bentayga (average new price: $287,638) and Continental GT ($364,625) models are the two most expensive luxury cars to maintain, having a 10-year maintenance cost of $27,967 and $23,331, respectively, per CarEdge. Including depreciation, insurance, maintenance, financing charges and fuel costs, the site says it will cost $285,586 to own a Bentley for five years, on average.
According to several Ferrari dealerships, the average yearly Ferrari maintenance costs range between $1,500 and $2,000. Writing on Jalopnik, “Plays With Cars” author Doug DeMuro, said that routine expenses were a little bit more expensive than that — over $2,300 to replace the tires and get an oil change; over $1,700 to change the front brake pads and rotors — but his 360 was thankfully problem-free. But for a piece of art that generally costs north of $150,000, expect to pay big bucks in the event of an unexpected repair.
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