A bit worried about long term costs and reliability - should I be?

[thstone]

Originally Posted by rondocap

I I don't mind maintaining it, but I would like to keep a budget in mind because its my 3rd and fun car, so I don't want a money pit.

Take it one step at a time. No need to refurbish the entire car to "like new" condition in the first year of ownership.

Set a budget of about $2K/year and see how far it goes each year remembering to keep some $$$ in reserve for unplanned problems.

For example, start with safety related items first (brakes and tires), then longer term maintanence (plugs, oil), then long term upgrades last (IMS only when clutch fails, top replacement, etc).