Nissan GT-R
Let’s face it, anyone buying a $100,000 Nissan GT-R clearly isn’t looking to save money. These affordable sports vehicles are one of the fastest production cars on the market. They also tend to be highly customized and go through a lot of modifications, including special engine upgrades and custom paint jobs, and many owners like to add some extremely loud speakers to hear that engine roar.
It can cost the average GT-R owner more than $1,500 to maintain and fuel this vehicle. In addition, larger fixes such as replacing its timing chain, will set you back more than $2,500. This is a very real possibility since the car was not built for safe, legal, and slow driving and most drivers will likely need to renew their timing chain within a few years’ time.
Ram 3500
Ram’s 3500 model is one of the brand's biggest and baddest trucks. It’s a massive vehicle and one that has the power to match its size. Ram has always been known for making some of the best pickup trucks in the industry, but this one suffers from slightly higher annual upkeep costs than its competitors. Expect to pay around $1,500 annually for gas, maintenance, and possibly some repairs on this one.
Regardless, the Ram 3500 is an extremely beloved truck and deserves all the awards it has received over the years. If you do want to buy one, just keep in mind though that an AC recharge will likely cost you over $100, and an alternator replacement around $500. These are not exuberant costs though, especially when compared to many of the other vehicles on our list.
Audi S4
Many fans of Audi swear by the car brand and would never ever buy a car made by any other company. The brand is known for selling some of the most advanced eye-catching cars you can get and often competes with Mercedes and BMW for the “best German automaker” title in consumers’ minds. Its S4 model costs just under $40,000, but that’s the least of your problems when you buy one of these.
Audi is notorious for having some of the most expensive upkeep costs relative to the prices of its vehicles. You should expect to pay around $1,600 in annual upkeep for the S4 model. Although repairing an Audi is quick, easy, and always comes with great service, it’s also freakishly expensive. Just getting a control arm replacement would cost you a whopping $5,000. Yikes.
Lincoln MKS
Lincoln has never been known for making cheap cars. Their vehicles might have a wide range of prices, but everyone knows that Lincolns cost money. Their MKS model was no different. It was a full-size luxury sedan that was sold by the automaker starting in 2007, and was recently discontinued in 2016.
Reports have come out that it costs more than $1,500 to maintain the Lincoln MKS annually. This adds up to almost $20,000 in a decade, a figure that doesn’t include gas and all the potential problems that might occur over that span of years. The car was also known for having issues with its brakes. These would cost between $250 to $750 to fix, which would get pretty pricey since there was no way around it.
Mercedes-Benz C300
Mercedes Benz came out with its C300 model somewhere in the mid-'90s. The car was an instant success, and featured the same interior as its E-Class counterpart, but had a much more curved and sleek design. It’s also a relatively cheap Mercedes, and costs around $40,000, making it quite affordable for upper-middle-class Americans.
The main downside behind owning the C300 is the same as with any other Mercedes model. Maintenance and repairs are certainly not cheap, and you can expect to pay around $200 for a basic oil change. It’s definitely worth it if you’re a fan of the German luxury car brand, but otherwise, you should probably save that money for better use.