"but I don't think doing maintenance yourself generally pays off." Kinda depends on how much an hour of your time is worth. Maybe an oil change is worth paying

"but I don't think doing maintenance yourself generally pays off." Kinda depends on how much an hour of your time is worth. Maybe an oil change is worth paying someone for (most shops don't charge much for an oil change). If you are really mechanically savvy you can save hundreds of dollars though. I bought an extremely-cheap Evo X (like ~$5k cheaper than average)....the car came with a bad Active Center Differential Pump, which is a $1500 part. I ordered the part at Mitsubishi then put my car on jack-stands at my home and changed the part myself. Then ran the computer software necessary via my laptop and a specialized cable to flush the pump fluid as well. Took me a Sunday afternoon but saved me hundreds of dollars in labor. Plus I now have a car with a brand-new pump that still cost me THOUSANDS of dollars less than any other Evo X that was on the market here.