Disaster on Wheels: These 10 Cars Could Make You Go Broke

Few things will make you hemorrhage cash faster than a car that’s always in the shop. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, with even the most reliable manufacturers suffering from their share of catastrophic engine failures. But as a savvy consumer, your best bet is choosing reliability and quality over style and flash, which means you should avoid makes and models on this list (unless you’re rich). Here are the 10 most expensive cars to maintain, according to CarEdge’s analysis of popular manufacturers. 

Note: The 10-year costs to maintain seen below are based on each manufacturer's total roster of models.

This American manufacturer earns accolades for its powerful pickups, nabbing the top two spots in Car and Drivers 2023 truck rankings. But we’re not sure thousands of pounds of towing capacity is worth over a thousand dollars of maintenance a year. If reliability is a priority, we'd opt for a Toyota Tacoma instead.

When a consumer asked whether Jeeps are reliable on a popular auto forum, the top commenter answered, “Yes. You can rely on them to fail.” That bears out in the data, which show that the average 10-year maintenance cost is over $10,000, or nearly double what you’d pay on a typical Toyota.

Chrysler has taken a reputational beating over the years, in part because of a dangerous flaw that would trap passengers in its Town and Country minivan. Today, the American manufacturer only has three cars on the market — and all of them will cost you at the repair shop.

Dodge may have the Challenger, one of the most iconic muscle cars of all time, but all that power will cost you. While the Durango might be the most high-maintenance of Dodge's lineup, the Challenger will cost you to the tune of $8,000+ over 10 years.

Although Ford has some respectable models like the Fusion, a sizable portion of its pickups cost north of $14,000 to maintain over 10 years. The worst offender, the Ford F-450 Super Duty, tops the manufacturer’s list with a $15,479 10-year maintenance price tag.

By now, you’ve probably noticed a pattern: If you buy American, expect to become close friends with your mechanic. That’s true for Chevys, too, which have around a 22% chance of needing major repairs in their 10th year.

You’ve got to give it to Fiat for bringing cute, three-door European autos to the American market. Sadly, these stylish city cars require “constant mechanical attention,” in the words of one owner. The problem isn’t so much the engines as it is the electronics and moving parts, enthusiasts say.

Buick went from early American pioneer (around since 1899!) to a fading manufacturer that earns most of its cash from sales in China. Many of its cars aren’t even Buicks, with the company borrowing and rebranding cars from Daewoo, Holden, and Opel.

Japanese cars are usually synonymous with quality, but the Ascent and Outback both have 10-year maintenance costs over $8,000, putting the brand far behind Honda, Mitsubishi, and Toyota.

Although Hyundai just barely makes this list, it’s worth noting that the Korean manufacturer has tried to make up for its reputation with its stellar 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty.