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We've beat the hell out of Brother B/W laser multi-function machines for the past 7 years printing literally hundreds to over a thousand pages per day, everyday, 5 days a week. We have several printers in the office so when one needs replaced we can usually find it on sale for about $100 off within two weeks. When the laser starts going bad, that's when we actually replace them.
We're on our third one at this point (an 8480) and except for having to replace the fuser on one a couple of years ago (we always keep old ones for parts so replacing it cost nothing), all we've ever done is replace the toner and the drum from time to time and all has been great.
As for the cost of toner, we use refurbished cartridges from 4inkjets/LDProducts as they cost about a third the cost (or less) of the Brother brand. On a rare occasion we get one that doesn't work or that leaks, but they have always made good and replaced them. They also have replacement drums when they are needed, again at a huge savings over the Brother brand (though they definitely don't last quite as long).
As far as ongoing maintenance, there are several messages that pop up telling you to replace this part or that part, and occasionally you have to reset the counts on the drum and toner units, but you can Google the workarounds and reset info. (This may void your warranty to take this in to consideration before choosing your plan of action.)
One last thought, no matter the brand of printer, they all seem to have cheaper build quality with each passing year.
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