when does an engine run reliably and efficiently for years and years like people sometimes describe?

I just always seem to have to fix things... a friend has a evolution 0.60 engine... its been running now over 2years no issues what so ever... it just simply starts all the time every time... and can idle so low its insane... doesn't seem to want to die no matter how low the idle gap... I thought I would buy something expensive like an OS, suppose to be awesomely reliable and for many people they are... don't know why I always buy the ones with issues...