My friend actually does his oil change religiously every 7500miles. He doesn't believe in changing it early and wasting money if the car does not need it. I have actually been changing my S every 5000 miles except my last oil change, which I did in 7500 miles. Im still on the original clutch (which is due to be changed), tranny, engine, diff, everything! I believe my friend had to change his clutch at least 3 times, but that's because of the way he drives. He bought his car when it first came out in 99/00 and he beated the hell out of it. Picture a high school kid that just graduated and bought a brand new sports car. He banged gears like there was no tomorrow, did donuts and burnouts every chance he got. He hasn't done those things in the last couple of years but that car has been through a lot. Everything is still original on his car. I think the key is just to keep up on your fluid changes.

I however baby my car. I've never done any clutch drops, never power shifted, no burnouts, etc. I just recently did my 105k service, which included changing out my spark plugs and valve adjustment. Hope that helps.

 

I have an 02 with 96k miles and it runs like a champ. It actually feels stronger now after recent sparkplug change and seafoam flush. Expecting it to run for a long time.

 

Wow, thats something to be said. Is your friend on his original diff with all that burnout and doughnut abuse?

 

I drive about 25k miles a year thanks to my work commute.

I'm going to drive my S forever and expect it to last no less than 200k miles thanks to good engineering, good quality control, and diligent maintenance.

However, if you want to save a money, a beater is a nice way to go. Better gas mileage. Cheaper parts, especially tires.