Most of the things he mentions: brake pads, CV boots, battery, plugs, are things that should either be part of normal maintenance, or may or may not wear out by 100k depending on how the car was used and sheer luck. Apart from the fan module, this is indeed all within normal parameters, and isn't grounds for complaint. $3000 is quite a bit, however. I wouldn't think all these items cost that much. But who knows? Perhaps it was the ache of seeing that much money fly out of his wallet that prompted his post.
Most of us have owned, once upon a time, a legendary vehicle that seemed to go on and on without breaking. My last legend was a 1999 626 V6 mtx I sold to a family member. Apart from a wheel speed sensor, it had no repairs from ~20k when I bought it used to ~140k when I sold it. The family member is still driving it and she hasn't had to spend much on it at all, although it's now nearly 160k. BUT: I had to spend money on the brakes, tires, 1 CV joint, new battery, plugs, tires, fresh transmission oil, the occasional blown headlight, wipers, etc., etc. These are all normal running costs. I think some peoples' expectations regarding reliabilityare too high--or they expect every car they buy to be one of the legends. Just doesn't happen...
As far as my '04 6i mtx is concerned, I'm at 52k. It was manufactured in August '03, making it one of the earlier '04s. I had some of the bugs fixed early in the warranty period: the brake moan disease, the fogging windshield problem. Since that time, zip,rien, nichts, nada. It's all been change the oil and filter and go. It may fall apart by 100k, but for now it's in a prolonged trouble free stage that I hope will last beyond 100k. When I bought the car, I wasn't thrilled about the dealer visits to fix the bugs. The brake moan ailment, in fact, took multiple visits and was a PIA. But clear sailing since then. The car is out of warranty now, but it feels tight and I'm looking forward eventually to adding it to my roster of legends.