I'm thinking about getting one of these sometime. What do you think of
them,
i.e. performance, features, reliability, value for money, etc ?


Well, if you can find one at an affordable price, go for it. It will likely
retain its resale value if you don't like it.
I have not used one of these radios, and won't pretend to 'know' what's good or
bad about it, but it does seem to me, from reading specs and reviews, that
there are MANY other radios out there that are smaller, cheaper, and offer more
features (other than that neat CRT/spectrum diplay) than the '9000.
But, if you like the look of the set and can affordably snag one somewhere, it
can't hurt to play with it. You just might find, though, that for the money,
you could get two JRC NRD545's, or Drake R8Bs, or any number of other good,
solid tabletop radios which take up less space, cost less, and perform as well,
and in some cases much better, than the '9000.
IF it's a question of having a wideband receiver, you'd be better off (in my
opinion) getting a dedicated HF receiver and a separate dedicated VHF-and-up
receiver. Again, for the money spent on an Icom R9000, you could have two top
of the line radios dedicated to their own purposes and STILL have plenty of
dough left over for decent antennas and accessories, and snacks while
listening. Maybe even a new office chair for the listening post. Them '9000's
was EXPENSIVE when new, and they haven't gotten a whole lot cheaper since then.

Good luck-
Linus