Turbo's Reliability/Maintenance
 

As noted, I am more of a cycling buff than a driving fan, but I am in need of a fun, NON-Cookie cutter auto (too many Honda's on the road)...but I also want a reliable car...

My know it all brother in law INSISTS that turbo's on WRX's are expensive to maintain and that I will have hidden costs down the road. Any comment on whether a Turbo is for me or not?

If by hidden costs he means more money spent on premium fuel and poor mpg then yes. It will cost a bit more. You'll need to stay on top of your oil changes, as well. Turbos make a lot of heat and the oil breaks down more quickly. The heat may also degrade hoses a little faster than in a normally aspirated car, although I'm really starting to split hairs here.

Having said all that, the turbo in the WRX is a modern, time tested design. It is water cooled, whereas many older designs relied solely on engine oil and air for cooling. The engine's low compression is designed to handle forced induction as are it's internal components.

Will a turbo charged car be more expensive to operate than a normally aspirated car over time? Most probably. Is this extra cost worth it to me? Most definitely!:D After two years with my car, it still makes me grin when I put my foot down with 3K on the tach.

Yes, it'll cost more in terms of gas and insurance, but the turbo is not a likely point of failure, for the reasons mentioned above. Anecdotally speaking, I know more than one person with 92 turbo Legacys, one of which has 192,000 miles and is still on the original turbo (running perfectly), and is only on its second clutch, so I wouldn't worry.