my boyfriend is 6ft and 175lbs, and likes to ride rough. he broke my trek 4700 just messing around out on some heavy trails and little jumps...over $150 to repair!! taking this into consideration, i have come to the conclusion that he needs a very durable bike, with respectable conponents, b/c in a couple of years he'll end up replacing most of the conponents anyway, but it needs to last at least two years of abuse from him. i am on a BIG budget, so I can't spend more than $450. Currently, we like the Gary Fisher Opie, Fuji Panic, and possibly the IBEX Ignition-1. Also, because he also needs to use this bike as his primary form of transportation e.g. getting to work and such, we are not sure if we should go with a hardtail(my personal favorite) or a full suspension. Anybody got some suggestions?

Definitely go with a hardtail in that price range. Check out the Ironhorse Maverick SE on www.performancebike.com. It's the same price if you live near a store. It has pretty durable components for the price.

Im about the same size and I have a Norco Katmandu. Good Bike
Or I recommend the Wolverine:

https://www.norco.com/05/2005bikes/adventure.php

Check the "Around $500" thread at the top of the page