No matter how solid your vehicle is, chances are high that it'll need some sort of repair within the first five years. Those repairs won't come cheap, and can be quite steep, depending on the vehicle. People with tight budgets may want to factor in repair costs before buying a new vehicle.

The most expensive luxury autos to repair are the Mercedes-Benz G Class and Audi A8 with roughly $1,640 estimated repair costs for the first five years. Other luxury autos with high repair costs include the Land Rover Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz CL Class and the Jaguar XK, all with five-year repair costs between $1,540 and $1,629.

Forbes.com used 2008 repair estimates over a five-year period calculated by Vincentric auto-industry data-analysis. Vincentric analyzed the cost of zero-deductible, bumper-to-bumper extended warranty claims to determine the average amount automobile owners could expect to spend on repairs. Maintenance was not included in the estimate.

Luxury and high-performance auto owners typically spend more money for repairs over time because parts and labor are more costly, explained David Wurster, Vincentric president. He suggested that luxury auto owners could pay $100 per hour of labor, versus $70 per hour for the average auto.

Timothy Zilke, president of the National Institute for Automotive Excellence, said that "the average car has six to 20 computers that help manage everything from the sunroof to anti-lock braking system and electronically controlled transmission." He said that auto repair specialists must be "master-diagnosticians well-versed in electronics."

Audis have electronic sensors on their brakes, according to an Audi technician in Los Angeles, Calif., so repairs take more time and are more complicated than brakes on an average auto.

Sports cars have similar issues. Dodge spokeswoman Kathy Graham said that technicians who work on the Dodge Viper must take special classes to learn how to repair them. Besides that, repair parts are scarce because Dodge manufactures only 1,500 Vipers per year. Because of these factors, the Viper has the highest overall repair cost of any vehicle, luxury or not, over a five-year period, at $1,641.

Vehicles with turbocharged diesel engines also require greater repair skill. The reason is that pulling and towing mechanisms are complex mechanical systems. Five-year estimated repairs for the Ford F450, Chevrolet Silverado 3500 and Dodge Ram 3500 range from about $1,094 to $1,295. These trucks face greater instances of wear and tear than most autos.

Other non-luxuries that come with high repair estimates include the Hummer H2 and H3, Ford Mustang, Subaru Impreza, Mini Cooper, Chrysler Pacifica and GMC Yukon.

As automobile improvements and warranties continue, drivers can expect to pay less to simply keep their vehicle on the road.