As many luxury and performance cars get older their prices drop as their warranties disappear and they become increasingly expensive to maintain. Many times these vehicles seem like unbelievable deals until you begin to take into account how much money you will end up paying for the parts and labor to maintain and repair it.
This weekend we are going to pretend that these costs aren't a factor. What if that maintenance nightmare you've always wanted cost the same to keep on the road every year as your current daily driver? What car would you purchase if it wasn't so expensive to maintain?
As someone who has always driven older cars that are relatively simple and cheap to repair, this question is like opening a whole new world. Forgetting the insane maintenance costs I would purchase a 2003-2006 Mercedes E55 sedan or wagon. A quick peek at Ebay shows a few nice sub 80,000 mile examples selling in the low twenty thousand range.
Without having to worry about obscenely expensive parts and the fact that I am not a trained Mercedes tech I would have already had one sitting in my driveway. Who could say no to a 469 horsepower RWD four door capable of running a 12.3 second 1/4 mile that costs less than a new stripped V8 muscle car? If only the maintenance costs actually were the same as my 1998 4runner.
What car would you purchase if it wasn't so expensive to maintain?
Photo Credit: Eliteperformanceltd