We've gone on record in the past noting that it might not be a great idea to buy a used luxury car "for less than a new Nissan." Luxury cars are fast depreciators, meaning that it's not hard to find a five or 10-year-old BMW selling for dirt cheap, but the trade-off is steep ownership costs, especially when it comes to maintenance. Not because luxury cars are unreliable, but because they demand specialty parts and maintenance.But, there are exceptions to almost every rule. In particular, Asian luxury brands like Lexus, Infiniti, Genesis, and Acura have a strong track record for being relatively low-maintenance. For instance, a BMW X5 will cost you around $1,166 each year to maintain, while a Lexus RX350 might only cost you $550, according to RepairPal, just a bit more than the $489 you'd spend on the RX's mid-market counterpart, the Toyota Highlander. Here's what you need to know about these low-maintenance luxury brands. Reliable Luxury Cars Come From All Over (But Asian Cars Are The Cheapest To Fix) Acura Lexus ranked first in J.D. Power's latest reliability survey, with a PP100 (problems per 100 models) rating of 151. Our annual maintenance estimates are provided by RepairPal.Two key takeaways here. First, nation of origin does not necessarily determine reliability. BMW, Lexus, and Cadillac represent Europe, Asia, and North America, respectively, and each comes in well below the average PP100 rating of 204. Second, nation of origin absolutely does determine how much you can expect to spend maintaining your car every year.On average, the Asian brands represented on our list come out to an annual maintenance cost of just $553. Our American brands come out to an average of $831, and the European brands average of $938. This means that, on average, you're saving $331 on maintenance every year driving a Japanese or Korean luxury car. Why Are Asian Cars Cheaper To Maintain? Lexus As these numbers illustrate, Asian luxury cars are not necessarily more reliable than European or American luxury cars (although Lexus is considered to be the most reliable brand on the market right now). But these brands have a number of things going for them. Chief among them would be compatibility.By compatibility, we mean that many of these cars have downmarket counterparts with which they share components. For instance, a new fuel tank for a Highlander can cost as much as $2,465 with parts and labor. In an RX350, that same fix is estimated to cost up to $2,467. It's the same part, and the same fix, and it costs about the same whether you're driving a luxury car or a mainstream SUV.The exceptions only help to prove the point, as the Lexus LS460 has no direct Toyota counterpart, and it's one of the brand's costlier models when it comes to maintenance, averaging $767 a year to maintain. Even so, the LS460 shares its engine lineup with downmarket models like the Toyota Sienna, whereas many BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes are running engines you won't find outside a European luxury car, like the X5's N63 twin-turbo V8.Compatibility is just one key factor, of course. Many Cadillacs have downmarket counterparts, but some of them also pack supercharged engines that they only share with high-end Chevrolet muscle cars. Lincoln shares its platforms with Ford, but scores slightly below the industry average in J.D. Power's latest reliability survey. These Are The Cars That Make The Difference Genesis In assessing individual brands for reliability and maintenance costs, we're looking at broad averages. The truth is that every brand will have its share of models at the higher and lower ends of the dependability spectrum. Even Toyota has produced some duds, like the 2007 Camry, which is considered the least reliable model year for the otherwise reliable car.If we're looking for the most hassle-free current models from Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, and Genesis, here's how they rank for annual maintenance according to RepairPal, and Quality & Reliability, according to their latest J.D. Power ratings. Lexus ES350 Lexus Timing chain tensioner replacement $3,117 - $,361 Oil pump replacement $2,892 - $4,141 Power seat motor replacement $1,406 - $1,528 Air bag clockspring replacement $718 - $779 Wheel hub assembly replacement $572 - $974 Acura Integra Acura Air bag control module replacement $1,126 - $1,212 Brake pressure sensor replacement $665 - $715 Window regulator motor replacement $514 - $609 Air bag crash sensor replacement $374 - $483 Horn replacement $167 - $208 Infiniti QX50 Infiniti Door mirror replacement $3,423 - $3,458 Liftgate pulldown motor replacement $1,516 - $1,551 Windshield wiper motor replacement $1,264 - $1,356 Steering knuckle replacement $1,121 - $1,273 Exhaust manifold gasket replacement $722 - $1,031 Genesis G70 GenesisRepairPal does not have a model-specific estimate for the Genesis G70 sedan, but it should be within the same ballpark as the overall brand estimate of $524. We've selected it as the most hassle-free Genesis based on it having the best Q&R rating of all current models. The most expensive common fixes include the following. AC condenser replacement $1,312 - $1,547 Brake booster replacement $1,086 - $1,242 Engine mount replacement $965 - $1,154 Brake master cylinder replacement $604 - $718 Trans oil cooler assembly replacement $529 - $616 Note that segment has a lot to do with a luxury vehicle's maintenance costs. For instance, Infiniti only sells SUVs and crossovers, and the QX50 is the most expensive vehicle on this list to maintain. As a general rule of thumb, if you want to make fewer trips to the shop, and spend less when you get there, drive something small. Maintenance Isn't The Only Added Expense For Luxury Car Owners Lexus There are plenty of luxury cars out there that don't cost that much more to maintain than their mid-market siblings. But, before you go running out the door, cash in hand, to buy the first Acura you see with a "for sale" sign in the window, remember that there's more to the cost of ownership than maintenance alone.CarEdge estimates an annual cost of around $2,421 to insure a Highlander, assuming a 40-year-old driver with a clean record and good credit. That same driver is spending $2,582 a year to insure an RX350. No matter your record, your credit, your coverage level, luxury cars will always list among the most expensive vehicles to insure.The difference isn't astronomical; We might be talking about less than $1,000 a year, depending on the model. But a luxury car will, as a rule, cost more to own from day to day than a comparable mid-market vehicle.