I don't like panhard bars either, a Watt's linkage is far better at keeping the rear end centered in the car. Set up and tuning on a 4 bar isn't that tough. The chassis book "Doorslammers" has a ton of very good information on making them work correct.

A triangulated 4 bar works quite well, also, probably not as much tunablity as an equal length though. The equal length 4 bar is still the best setup for street or racing IMO. I would say maintainance is the same on all of them, really nothing more than checking the rod ends from time to time. I've ran some fairly big horsepower hitting on the 4 bars, and never have broke anything. The investment in the good rod ends, whether you use heims or poly, costs a bit more up front but will only save money and keep you safe in the long run........