Fixed the link.

 

I guess I am just lucky!

 

as far as "our" (pre-90) cars, maybe they were expensive to maintain back in the day (the 80s). But by modern standards, almost all of the parts on these cars are dirt cheap. Filters, fluids, brake pads, plugs, cap and rotor, shocks, brake rotors, oxygen sensors are all dirt cheap compared to just about modern car.

And, the labor rates are about the same these days, too.

 

My boss just bought a 2006 Cayenne. He took it to the local dealer for the 40,000 mile service today. They are charging $800 for what is basically a tuneup and that is discounted from the usual rate of $1200 because he knows someone who works there. He's a pretty good mechanic, but he says he wants to make sure he keeps the service history up through Porsche. Just a data point.

 

All dealers charge whatever they want for parts, has nothing to do with the car maker or model. In my experience, the Asian car dealers have astounding prices on general maintenance/repair parts and I am used to being on both sides of the Benz/Porsche/Rover parts counter.

 

I think the local Mercedes dealership charges over $150 per hour, and the Porsche dealer charges about $180 per hour.

That does not automatically make Porsche more expensive to maintain over the lifetime of the car. I also think that given the small number of Porsches made each year, it's not really easy to get good statistics on them.