Other cousins include luxury sedans from Jaguar and Lincoln, both subsidiaries of Ford. Jaguar sells its S-Type sedan for $44,895--almost $10,000 more than the Lincoln LS. The models are distinct in styling and performance, but they share the same platform and five-speed transmission.

Infiniti is the luxury division of Nissan, and its G35 sedan is the upscale version of Nissan's flagship Maxima sedan. Built on the same chassis, they have several parts in common. The savings for the Maxima are relatively low, around $1,100, but maintenance costs and repairs for the G35 can run higher. The Maxima also shares components with the bestselling Altima, which is slightly smaller and costs $9,650 less.

At Volkswagen, the Passat can be considered a lower-priced and less luxurious version of a stablemate, the Audi A4, at a savings of $2,500. Both German-built cars offer an all-wheel drive system or front-wheel drive.