Its more when it breaks than if it breaks though I would say.
Denied.
I have friends who have had RS's for years as track toys, thrashing them a couple of times a month and using them as daily drivers. If serviced at 6k intervals and with the timing belt and pulleys done at appropriate times there is no reason for them to be any more unreliable than our 1.8t's.
My 172 RS was one of the most fun cars I have ever owned, one owner from new with full main dealer history it was immaculate other than a small scuff on the front wing. I paid a grand for it, put a rear ARB on it and remapped it myself with an RSTuner. It made 184bhp on a RR with good torque for a nonturbo engine, it out handled any Mk4 platform car I have ever driven other than Prawns track car, had an addictive red line and was great on fuel and easy to run and live with. In terms of speed mine wasn't all that far off an S3, compared to a standard one it was certainly quicker. It was more than capable of keeping up with my current A3 at the time.
The F4R is an excellent engine, a faster mean piston speed than the Renault F1 engine of the year and fully balanced internals.
The only problem with RS Clio's is the owners being chavvy kids, luckily skint people are struggling to pay the insurance on them and they are regaining a good image. People who run them into the ground and abuse them are the issue, if you join forums lime cliotrophy you will find the same sort of owners as our S3 lot on here, more respectable middle aged men who want a toy car to play with and enjoy.
I won't have a bad word said about RS's, they are a well built and reliable car with huge character and great performance.
People who say they are just a Renault are mugs, they were all built in the Dieppe factory by Alpine. And as such really are something special.
If you want a cheap track car that will reward you every time you drive it then here it is, capable out the box and ready to go on track. Why make it harder for yourself when you can buy something like this for a grand which will be better round a uk track than an S3 with 5x as much invested in it-