I change my oil, oil filter every 3,000 miles, spark plugs every third oil change (when I can), but, being as I have only had my Pathy for almost 2 yrs, and put 20,000 miles on her... I pulled the motor in feb this yr and did the h2o pump, timing belt, t'stat, plugs, fuel filter (last week), tires, and a few other things... so now I know what lasts how long and how many miles... routine maintenance is a must.. but if you don't want to get ripped off... try to do most of the work yourself...
I always check the brakes when I rotate or am changing sets of tires...