[Leica] Epson Stylus 900?

["4season" <4season@boulder.net>]

Has anyone purchased one? The sample prints are the best I've seen from any
mid-priced printer (there's even a Leica in one of 'em, or something which
sure looks like one!) I had previously thought to buy an Alps MD5000, but in
the store at least, the Stylus 900 seems to offer much finer detail (the
Alps has a noticeable dot pattern) and more importantly, I realized that I
don't like the creamy off-white color of the Alps film, as used for the
highest quality prints.

Has anyone compared a year-old Epson print to one freshly printed?

And how reliable are they these days? I last left Epson in the dot-matrix
days, and didn't like them much. Oh, they were widely supported, but when 3
out of 3 printers experience electronic problems (cheap PC board material
shouldn't have plated-through holes!) and mechanical ones, such as busted
platten knobs, it does tend to sour one's opinions.