Cool thanks for your input. It seems like the clutches (even driven normally) don't last much beyond 50-60K miles on these cars. Not sure I want to deal with changing fluid on 3 diffs at once, replace all 4 tires at once etc. After driving the Elise yesterday I may just stick with it. It's just a shame to have a car like that sit in the garage most of the week.

 

I agree with others. They are reliable as long as you maintain it correctly. I've had mine for over a year driven daily and haven't had any problems yet except one. Rotors got warped and went thru hell with Mitsu to get the new ones even though I only had 9K miles at the time.

 

Welcome to the Evo community. I had an S2000 before my Evo. The Evo is a very reliable car given you take care of it and drive it responsibly. Nothing wrong with driving the car hard like it was meant to be driven, but just remember it is a machine and any machine can and will fail if its not properly used and maintained. I have no complaints about mine after owning it for over a year and ~20k miles. I drive it daily and autocross it during the summer. I have most bolt-ons you can think of so my stock turbo is nearly maxed out.

 

The 9's have a lot of the bugs worked out of them. Remember the car was already on the US market in 2003, 2004, and 2005. The 2006 9'sare holding up great

 

Yep, and the 8 wasn't that buggy to start with because it was already 2 yrs into production elsewhere in the world as VII. 350z was kinda buggy when it first came out.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys. I drove an 06 Evo 9 GSR and did not like it even though I really wanted to, just not my cup of tea.

 

what didnt you like?

 

then that probably is a deal breaker

 

^ I agree, if you don't like even if you tried to then there is not much more to talk about.

 

If you dont abuse it, even a Lada is a reliable car.

but to answer the OP, as far as Evo's, IMHO, you never know! thats the bottom line.
You'll have most people here (its an Evo forum after-all) tell you that they never had any problems, other than changing out the clutch perhaps... take care of the car, and it takes care of you...

but you also have to keep in mind, the different climates and type of roads people live in, mods which may or may not be the best for the car, and of course the manner in which people drive.
take an Evo from Florida, no mods, and granny shifting, and you know it will go 100k miles no problem, as most japanese cars would.
Yet you take an Evo from NYC, driving over speed bumps and potholes all day, going from 90deg in summer, to 20deg in winter, and stop-sign to stop-sign erratic driving in heavy traffic, and you'll have problems all the time....

drivetrain and mechanical parts aside, also keep in mind how fragile the interior is, where in the interests of weight savings, the factory eliminated any and all sound/vibration/insulation materials - so hard plastic dashboard hits the rock solid console, and the cardboard headliner covered by .01mm thick synthetic padding vibrates against the thin aluminum roof

AND on top of it all, it all varies from car to car, and driver to driver!
all being equal, one guy will still go 100k miles w/o a single problem, and another gal will fry her synchros, or transfer case after only 4k miles...

i had a lexus ES like 8y ago, and that car wouldn't break if it was exploded (i almost even resented that in 4 years i never even changed a light bulb or had a flat!), yet I had a GS immediately following that, and that car kept breaking every 2 months, sensor here, sensor there... replaced defective gas tank, then replaced the whole heater unit, then torque converter, etc. after-all, its a metal box with a million wires, gadgets and metal moving parts inside - you never know!

but, having said all that, overall, the Evo is a pretty reliable car

 

If you want a DD got with a different vehicle.The EVO is fun but expensive to maintain. If you are mechanically inclined and not afraid to get your hands dirty then you'll save yourself some money.

If I was in your predictment and already owned an S2000 and lotus then I would go for a boring DD. If money is not an issue for you then go for it.