I have an 01 that I bought with 48K on it and the only problem I had with mine was the dreaded RMS leak. It wasn't to bad so I waited to have the clutch replaced and had it all fixed at once. I now have 60k on it with no other problems. Just make sure you keep up on the maintenance. It is possible the past owner neglected his car. The problems you described are at least fixable and won't cost you a fortune if you just fix them one at a time. Invest in a good after market extended warranty. Not so sure about Warranty Direct after some one here psted they had problems with them so look around fore a good one.
