I think the unreliability of the SVX has been seriously overhyped. My wife's cars over the past few years have included an Audi 5000s, which needed a new transmission at 56,000 miles, a Nissan Maxima, which had a transmission rebuild at 60,000 miles and a replacement at 90,000 miles, and a Mazda Millenia S, which required a transmission rebuild at 105,000 miles. The Audi was a total mess in terms of repairs, we sold it at 65,000 miles after replacing several steering racks, power steering pumps, an AC compressor, a radiator, an engine computer, a transmission computer, several window regulators, and a sunroof operator. Other than the transmission the the Nissan was pretty good. The Maza was also pretty good, but, when we sold it at 115,000 miles, it was burning oil, had oil leaks that were too expensive to fix, and had a starter that wouldn't engage in cold weather (unfixable after a starter replacement and several attempted repairs), and was generally loose and sloppy. My daily driver before I entered SVX land was a Porsche 911 (11 years), I spent a lot of money on repairs for it, (clutch replacement), had to be towed several times (a little water in the gas leads to fuel injection system corrosion that can only be cured by replacement of the entire fuel injection system; liquid lock due to wide open stuck injectors is an interesting phenomenon), but still it was an absolute ball to drive around.
I am now on my second SVX. I took my 92 from 75,000 miles to 120,000 miles, then bought a 94 with 74,000. The 92 transmission was getting a little iffy, but a Smallcar shift kit seemed to shore it up pretty well. Replaced one rear wheel bearing. My 94 now has 83,000, and I have spent a fair amount of money on mods, but maintenance has been nil. When I look at the cost of these same mods for a BMW or a Porsche, they would cost 3 or 4 times as much. An engine chip for one of these cars costs the better part of $1000, compared with $219 for the Ecutune Stage 1. Ben's drilled and slotted rotors and SS brake lines cost me about $400, while the same stuff of a Porsche is well over $1000.
My final analysis is that this is a pretty damn reliable car, that is a ball to drive (can't wait to get my GC/Koni setup on the car), and is a real bargain to mod up. Just think, I can put in a 5 speed for the same amount of money I spent to replace the automatic in the Mazda.
