I was going to say, all those problems you listed sound very much like ones that can be cured with a change in driving style.
A different brand car isn't going to help you one bit.
MAF sensor:
My guess is you have a cold air intake that is different in size from the stock box, causing the ECU to have to compensate (usually by slinging more fuel). This creates more HP but also wears out a MAF sensor quicker. Heck even the oil on a K&N filter will ruin a MAF that is really sensative. AEM makes a 'dry flow' air filter that is really great.
Shocks, axles, oil pan:
You said it your self, lowering 2" definitely caused a good portion of these issues. Your probably bottoming out the shocks and crushing the valve bodies. Get some coilovers that are designed to be shorter from the start.
CV joints are designed around a certain angle. Outside that angle they can really degrade fast.
You can't hit your oil pan nearly as easy at the stock height
Bearings:
Lowering the car puts more lateral stress on the bearing points. Where the car would normally 'roll' a bit and transfer that stress (CG change) down the vertical axis, lower the car (which prevents 'roll' due to permanent CG change) keeps more of that force in the lateral plane.
If you look at a wheel bearing, the two part old-school design, not the new age dual-offset sealed kind (look like a giant skate bearing, they use the exact same principle, its just easier to see in the old school design). There is an angle to the set. The inside and outside have complimentary angles. This angle is what carries the lateral loads. The steeper the angle the more lateral load it can take, but this also takes away from the vertical load capability. A car spends a majority of its time going straight or taking low speed 'city' turns. So the bearings are usually inclined less (flatter profile) in a street car. This provides for a long life in the usual 'street' duty. If you drive outside of that profile of straight, with low speed turns, and about 30% of those being highway on-off ramps, you'll need to replace your bearings more often.
Those old-school bearing have one important advantage to the sealed dual-offset design. You can put more torque through them (at the castle nut) to increase their lateral capabiity at the expense of a little extra wear.
Transmission:
You really are driving hard when you drop a transmission. Or you killed it when you killed your oil pan
If you ever want I can take a ride with you and help you figure out what is happening in the car and how to alter your driving to sustain its working life. The more you ask of the car beyond factory, the more thorough your maintainance schedule needs to be.
Oh and race/aftermarket parts have a lower life expectancy than OE stuff. Race parts assume that you'll be replacing them more often because you are harder on them.
. haha! They all suck, not just V-dub.
