FrugalMechanic.com ranks best, worst cars to maintain

FrugalMechanic.com, the web’s leading shopping comparison website for auto parts, has released its Auto Parts Pricing Index, a price comparison report of commonly replaced auto parts across all vehicle makes and models. In the report, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz ranked as the most expensive vehicle makes to maintain, with the 2008 Mercedes-Benz ML550 topping the list as the most expensive car and the 1990 Chevy Celebrity earning the title as the least expensive car to maintain.

For the report, FrugalMechanic.com analyzed pricing data from its massive catalog of 2 million auto parts that cover more than 5,000 different vehicles. To find the average prices, data was collected and analyzed from over 100 different online retailers including Amazon.com, JCWhitney.com, AutoPartsWarehouse.com, AdvanceAutoParts.com and many more. Categories chosen for the report included six of the most commonly replaced parts (air filters, oil filters, brake pads, brake rotors, spark plugs and oxygen sensors). 

The German and British automakers topped the list with Porsche, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz ranking as the most expensive vehicle makes to own, with the average total cost of parts totaling $350 for Porsche and $319 for Jaguar and $305 for Mercedes-Benz. BMW and Hummer rounded out the top five most expensive vehicle makes. On the other end spectrum, the most affordable automakers to maintain, according to the report are Yugo, Geo, Daewoo and Daihatsu, and Plymouth, with the average total cost of the replacement parts for these automakers totaling between $115 and $168.

In terms of specific models, three of the top five most expensive models to maintain come from Mercedes-Benz with the V8-powered ML550 luxury SUV, the S55 AMG sports sedan and the CL55 AMG sports coupe. The Porsche 911 and the BMW 750i round out the top five list of most expensive models. If you’re looking for a bargain, check out the Chevrolet Celebrity or the Nissan Pulsar NX. View complete list.

In terms of specific cars, not surprisingly, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche topped the list with the 2008 Mercedes-Benz ML550 coming in as the most expensive car to maintain, followed closely by the 2000 Porsche 911 and the 2003 Porsche 911. The least expensive cars, according to the report, are the 1990 Chevrolet Celebrity and the 1991 Chevrolet Beretta. View complete list.

Launched in 2008, FrugalMechanic.com scours the web to provide shoppers with the largest selection of auto parts on the web. FrugalMechanic.com regularly collects and compares pricing information from dozens of auto part retailers so you don't have to. The web site’s database of over five million part configurations makes Frugal Mechanic the best place to start your auto parts search. The company has partnerships with many of the leading online automotive publishers including Autobytel and High Gear Media. The management team comes from Amazon.com and Microsoft. The company is headquartered in Seattle and is privately held.