Most Expensive 2010 Cars To Operate
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SEE ALSO: Total Operating Cost - Compare All Vehicles
SEE ALSO: Forbes Top 10 Total Operating Cost Cars
Washington DC January 4, 2010; The AIADA newsletter reported that according to Forbes, while it's tough to sell top-end luxury cars in a time of high unemployment and an uncertain economy, there are exceptions to the rule. Buyers will still flock to special cars with a lot of cachet and the price tags to match. Audi, in particular, is faring better than most brands in the segment.
To determine its list of the most expensive cars of 2010, Forbes used data from Vincentric, an auto-industry analysis firm in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., to evaluate the following costs over a five-year term: manufacturer suggested retail price, projected depreciation, fuel costs, repairs, interest, opportunity costs, fees and taxes, insurance, and maintenance.
The data assume an annual rate of 15,000 miles driven per vehicle and a price of $2.60 for regular fuel, $2.86 for premium and $2.75 for diesel. It also applies an inflation rate for fuel prices, since the calculations predict costs over five years.
The 10 cars with the highest totals made the list. Forbes did not evaluate models from exotic brands like Lamborghini and Ferrari, automakers with extremely low production levels, like Spyker and Koenigsegg, or models from ultra-luxe automakers like Bentley, Maybach and Rolls-Royce.
