One model that made the top 10 is the Mercedes E-Class, which had an average price paid of $48,362. Since Mercedes has a number of models that sell for more than $100,000, the E-Class barely makes the middle of the car company's model line based on price. The second luxury car among the top 10 is the BMW X5 SUV, which has an average price paid of $56,050. The X5 M, the high performance model, costs more than $102,000 fully loaded.

The tastes of the wealthy do not vary much from the average car owner. Five of the cars rich Americans buy are made by either Honda Motor Co. (NYSE: HMC) or Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM). These two brands have consistently done well among American buyers and have taken market share from U.S. manufacturers for years. They continue to offer high quality, relatively low prices and efficient engines that get good gas mileage. Toyota and Honda cars are at the top of quality surveys. Two of the cars on our list are the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The remaining three on the list are from German automakers.