Reliability is a really hard thing to judge on a used car of any make/model. It boils down to shopping for the right car, being patient and/or willing to travel for the right car and reserve a budget for after the purchase. My car was in great shape, and what I consider low mileage for an 11 year old car-- 91k miles, or <9,000/year. It still needed some catch up maintenance, although the previous owner really did take good care of it. Some things will be more obvious to you than to the current owner the problems have sneaked up on. Ball joints, anything rubber in general, fluids etc. To me, the parts have really been fairly cheap. Like was said above, find a good mechanic. I'm limited in mechanical knowledge, but I try. I have a very good mechanic that works with me and charges about 1/2 what the dealership charges, since he knows I'm coming back. Same for the parts guy at your local dealership. I go in rather than call about parts, and talk to the same guy each time. I've gotten a little break here and there. I usually ask about a price on the next thing, if I know what it is, so they know I'm coming back.
These seem like very good cars to me, and I've owned a pretty good variety. Parts are out there, although some are discontinued, but finding used parts shouldn't be too bad--check the parts for sale section, lots of SC's getting parted out. Find the right car coming from the right seller, even if it means paying a bit more, and I think it pays off. Keep $500-1000 aside for an emergency budget, but that's good advice for any used car. You'll love the car, I know I do even more than I expected.
Good luck, & Enjoy!