Originally Posted by Blitz

Eh, you guys are making it sound much worse than it is. Let's assume the average person drives 15,000 miles a year.

Oil - 3 changes (5,000 mile intervals) x $50 a pop = $150
Trans/transfer case/rear diff fluid - 1 change x $100 = $100
Brake pads - 1 change x $150 = $150
Air filter - 1 change x $40 = $40

That's $440 for a year of maintenance. I wouldn't call that bad. That's without labor, of course, but any Evo owner/car guy should have no problem pulling off minor maintenance with the wealth of information on these forums. Oh, and that's assuming you need to do trans/transfer case/rear diff fluid every year. Some say 30,000 miles is fine. And my brake pads lasted me a lot longer than a year.

Now let's say you need a new set of tires every year (you don't). Add $800 and you're up to $1,200 for a year of maintenance.

Of course, the only tires that should go bad in 15,000 miles are the stock A046's and other super-high-performance summer tires. You don't NEED to run tires like that every day if you're concerned about maintenance costs. I have well over 15,000 miles on my Dunlop Winter Sport 3Ds and they look BRAND NEW. And because I don't drive like a douchebag on the street, I can honestly say I enjoy my car just as much on the way to work every day as I do on my RE-01Rs. If you need super-sticky tires for AutoX/road racing/whatever, it's not the car's fault. You gotta pay to play.

As for clutch, 40,000 miles here and it grips like the day she was new. My secret? Not launching every time the mood strikes me. Again, it's not the car's fault you need a new clutch because you like doing 6k launches regularly.

As for fuel, 20 mpg is pretty reasonable for the performance this car gives you. Don't like it? Drive something slower. Go ask guys with Cobras or Vettes how light fuel cost is on their wallets.

Finally, I have been daily driving my Evo for three years now. I drive it everywhere. It is parked outside day after day, night after night in Chicago weather. Every morning it has to endure a cold start, these days usually under a few inches of snow. It has been to the strip, autoX, done parking lot donuts, you name it. And in these three years, it has been absolutely bullet-prooof. I have not had to spend ONE PENNY on a repair that wasn't caused either by my own stupidity or that of another driver. So I take personal offense when some of you make the car sound like a money pit. It isn't.