Mine went 110k miles without ever blowing up and then I decided to rebuild it.
It's got as much longevity as other cars from the era if you pay attention to oil/omp and (over)boost (if you have a turbo). Everyone puts in at least a downpipe and then neglects all of the other mods (wastegate mod, better fuel bump, bigger injectors, wideband o2 sensor and new fuel map, better intercooler, etc) that you'll be forced to do along the way or suffer from boost creep and an eventual grenaded engine.
It's all of the other things under the hood that I've had to replace from all that heat though. Three alternators. A wiring harness that caught fire...
It's got as much longevity as other cars from the era if you pay attention to oil/omp and (over)boost (if you have a turbo). Everyone puts in at least a downpipe and then neglects all of the other mods (wastegate mod, better fuel bump, bigger injectors, wideband o2 sensor and new fuel map, better intercooler, etc) that you'll be forced to do along the way or suffer from boost creep and an eventual grenaded engine.
It's all of the other things under the hood that I've had to replace from all that heat though. Three alternators. A wiring harness that caught fire...