2012 Annual Auto Issue: Most and least expensive cars to own
By Consumer Reports
Note: Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on MSN.
Most shoppers focus on the purchase price and resultant monthly payments, if financing, when buying a new car. While it may be the most visible cost, the purchase price is really just the beginning. There are many real costs that are not so clear upfront and can vary widely between models and car segments.
To help consumers in making informed purchase decisions, we provide owner-cost information on the model pages, broken down to typical ownership periods. Our owner-cost estimates include six major elements: depreciation, fuel economy, insurance, interest on financing, maintenance and repair, and sales tax. Because depreciation is factored in our estimates, we assume that the vehicle will be traded in at the end of the term. Together, these cost factors provide an estimate of how much a vehicle will likely cost you to own over a given period.
Below, we highlight the most and least expensive cars to own for five years. These vehicles are equipped with typical options and an automatic transmission, except where noted.
|
| Least expensive | Most expensive | ||
| Small car | $26,500 | $39,250 | ||
| Family sedan | $31,500 | $44,250 | ||
| Luxury sedan | $54,250 | $106,750 | ||
| Upscale sedan | $39,250 | $49,750 | ||
| Sporty car | $28,250 | $70,750 | ||
| Small SUV | $34,500 | $47,000 | ||
| Midsized SUV | $38,500 | $61,750 | ||
| Luxury SUV | $50,000 | $84,750 | ||
| Large SUV | $50,500 | $73,750 | ||
Read more at Consumer Reports:
I know that the figures above are the "total cost of ownership" = cost to purchase + fuel + average insurance + estimated maintenance + depreciation, but carguy is right when he notes that the estimated total cost of the Corvette Z06 is lower than its stated MSRP. Maybe they are referring to the base Corvette and Z06 is a typo?
@annatar there is no guarantee that some one is going to wreck the first car. stereotypes like that are why we have problems in this country. i know lots of people that didn't wreck there first car and i still own my first car that my mother gave to me when i graduated. i drove it when she allowed me for two years while it was still her primary mode of transportation before she gave it to me and i have now owned it for 6 years and with over 170,000 miles it still runs strong. your right on one point it should be worked for in some way. i had damn good grades in school. the problem is a lot of people expect a bailout when things go wrong instead of taking responsibility for there own actions. so they don't care if they wreck there car or loose there house all they care about is what sap is gonna fix the problem.
Have your teenager share the family car instead of owning his or her own.
No way! Kids need to work their behinds to the bone until they scrape enough cash to buy their own car and their own insurance. They will wreck the first car anyway, that is the way of the world. And since they will wreck it, it needs to be their own vehicle. If they are lucky enough, they might live to tell about it. That is the way that is supposed to work. No way are kids supposed to get the keys to their parents' vehicles. No way!!!Of course none of this matters if you don't care about your spending. There are many people that spend money like it's never going to stop coming in. We call them fools!
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