I can't say much about maintaining older cars because I lease and that's a different topic. The idea is romantic, but my circumstances are what they are.

It comes down to economies of scale for manufacturers. If anything, the outliers like the Minis or 6-speeds should be priced much higher than regular offerings, but the general perception is that something named a Mini or something you have to row on your own should be less expensive. I'd love me an iPad mini Pro, I'd pay around $700-800, but how many of us are there for Apple to bother?