You can use any Dex/Merc type fluid you can find. The house brands such as ST, AAP and AZ are all very good and perform well. Their VOAs look as good as all the major brand names, and the UOAs show them just as capable, for less cost.
Yes, the $6/qrt Maxlife is a good buy for an excellent fluid, but if you don't extend the OCI, then you're not getting what you think, regardless how much others goad you. You can probably get the ST house brand (Walmart) for half that money. It's not a "good buy" if you don't get the value out of it. And the only way to do that is to extend your OCI on a ratio equal or better than the cost difference. If you cannot or will not do that, then Maxlife is not a good buy; it's a waste.
I personally have used ST and AAP D/M fluids for years; my UOAs show they perform quite well in normal applications. Choose one of the good house brands and you'll easily get another 75k miles out of this OCI.