I recently got a 94 SE 5 spd w/80k. I don't know how hard it has been driven, but I am planning on driving it enthusiastically. Could this damage the engine if it hasn't been pushed hard in a long time? A more general question: Is it bad for cars to be driven at high RPMs for extended periods, or does it just put more rotations on the engine, thus eventually reducing its life.

Is it bad for a car to accelerate hard to redline on a regular (daily basis)?
Feel free to respond to only parts of this question.

 

a friend of mine bought a 3000GT a while back. He drove it home very hard for about an hour. If I recall correctly this messed his car up for a bit. I think what he did was loosen up a lot of carbon build up and i believe that messed up something. He had it fixed in a few days and it wasnt very expensive but it did break the car for a bit. Oh yah, the driver before him was too nice to the 3000.

 

Yes, if the car rarely driven hard after the break in period, the car might not be used to the sudden high RPM.
Once a while, people should get their cars to high RPM. Many women thinks that high RPM ruins their car. A friend of my mom has a Volvo Turbo. She never drives it over 4k and thinks the car will last longer, eventually, it ended up that the fuel injectors were all plugged because the fuel injector were not being pushed through.........I don't know how to say it, but you get the idea