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My 911 daily drivers have proven to be the lowest cost of ownership cars that I've had, although others have been very low too.
Here's what I do. It's not for everyone, obviously.
1. 911. Here's a typical example. I bought a 911SC for $12,500 in 1992 (that was a very good deal at the time, I had to search for it). I drove it until 1997, put on around 50K miles. I did all the maintenance myself. I have it all written down on a maintenance log (I do for all my cars), there was nothing major, really all just regular oil changes, tires, brakes, etc. There were no major mechanical "hits." All in, it was less than $4K. Sold the car for $14K. Per mile, it was a very inexpensive car. I bought my current G50 Carrera for $16K. I don't expect to ever sell it for less than that. It has been many years with that car now, and pretty much only oil changes, etc. Been very cheap.
2. Used Sedans. Done similar with 3 and 5 series sedans. Search for a good used one, buy it right, and drive it. I did great with a E28 535is. I had it it for years, bought it with 60K miles and sold it with 180K miles 9 years later for $900 more than I paid for it (b/c by then, the E28 had developed a cult following, and mine was very clean). That car did need quite a bit over the years, but I did all the work myself. Radiator, suspension bushings, exhaust, hydraulic brake parts, brakes and rotors, I also had to put a new head gasket on at around 160K miles. If I had a shop do all the diagnostic and repair work, it would not have been economical. But DIY, it was very cheap per mile.
3. New Car. I've only bought one new car, a Mercedes. It is now over 10 years old. I still drive it, and will hand it off to my son in a few years, and he'll take over. I expect at least 20 years use out of it. It needed work under warranty, but once those bugs were worked out, it has been reliable. I do all the maintenance. So far, it has not required any non-warranty repair, other than regular maintenance, which is DIY very cheap. Cost for mile on this is more expensive than I usually do, but by the 20 year mark, it shouldn't be. Although this is fine, I won't ever buy a new car again. Too expensive and too much depreciation in the first 3 years.
4. Almost new car. This is probably the best for most. Buy a quality used car with a year or so left on warranty, drive it for 10 years, and do the repairs yourself. If you can't do the repairs yourself, don't get one that has expensive labor costs (MB, BMW, etc.).
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