the owners manual says every 5k for oil change but the dealer says 3k i dont want to get ripped off.. i trust the mitsu engineers more then the dealer, what do you guys think?

 

All depends on your useage. On straight highway, probably 7500 is fine. If only doing track days... Well, I wouldn't go more than 2 track days (~300-400) miles without changing the oil.

 

I've never changed oil on a car with such a low clearance. Do most of you use a jack or the ramps?

 

I was always told that that my WRX was good for 5000 on synthetic but I always changed my oil at 3000 and at 3000 my oil was always super dirty so I say 3000.

 

Ramps worked for me with the VIII, and I am hoping to do the same on my X.

It's not the scheduled maintenance that costs a lot, it's the unscheduled stuff:

Brake pads: $600+ including fitting for original Brembos (I managed 30K miles)
Tyres: $1200 for original Advans (15K miles max), plus winter tyres if you like
Tax: a lot for cars of this value
Scratches/dents: I spent at least $2K because others idiots couldn't keep their cars/shopping carts/blown apart wheels away from my car
Mods: try *not* to mod your car. It's hard.
Tickets: invest in a radar detector

etc.

 

Oil and OEM filter is cheap compaired to the damage that can be had.
Check your oil after every other fill up on break in.
I pay the dealer what they want. If they blow the car up its on them. Plus I guess at 35 years old. I have learned that somethings are just worth paying for.

Do I still do my own mods? Yeah. I restore old italian motorcycles for a hobby. so I'm not scared of getting dirty.......

I'd be more worried about cost of tires. Which should be the single most costly OEM/aftermarket part to replace. Since you have to replace all four at the same time.

 

Tires, 10k to 15k Miles, $800+.
Brake pads, 20k to 30K miles, $600.
Mobil 1 every 5k, $60.
Serpentine belt plus fluids ( transmission, transfer case, radiator), 30K, $500.
Airfilter every 20K, $20.
Don’t forget insurance .

 

I change oil every 8-10k.... with synthetics the shorter intervals are unnecessary and you're just putting money into the oil companies pockets

 

That just means the synthetic oil is doing its job at trapping dirt and other stuff. Dark oil means its working well. You should get an oil analysis to see if the oil is still good, which it probably is.

 

OMG oil change is easy guys.

Look,

1- Open oil fill cap.
2- Go under car and remove drain bolt.
3- Replace once oil is drained.
4- Do same with filter.
5- Fill your oil.

 

Oil nowadays cost around $5.99 for the synthetic...5 quarts/plus the filter for 6 or 7 dollars. I think do a lot of the work yourself would save you money, but if you don't know what you are doing it could cost you more in the long run...

 

Your manual should have both mileages 3k and 5k. 3000k is for severe weather conditions (places where its dusty, bumper to bumper traffic, constant weather fluctuations, and more) 5000k is supposed to be the norm. Really its all based on your preference. I live in crappy South Dakota where we get hail storms, dust and sand blowing everywhere and so forth so I get mine changed at 3000 and rotate the tires too.

 

What about using Hawk Blue pads...instead of OEM? Work better and are cheaper. Plus you can go to a diff. tire design. I use Ebay tires for my Elise. My previous EVO X GSR, getting another one tomorrow, chewed brake bads at the track badly. The car is so heavy is why. Insurance is not as bad as Lotus or even an RX8 but that depends on so many things. I was cross shopping against gen coupe 3.8 R Spec but the seating postion is strange and EVOS retain value well and are tunable and rare.

 

Jacks, you can rotate tires too...

 

good information to know before purchasing an X!