It's old again since the restoration, which was more than 20 years ago now. It's still reliable. The cars from before the labor issues of the 70's were reasonably reliable if maintained properly - which is a whole lot more maintenance than anything modern needs of course. The cars from the bad years had a lot of…

With VERY few exceptions, 91 is all you can get in Maine too. There is ONE station in Portland that sells 93.

This is a really excellent point. People around here like to dump on things like cheap old V12 BMWs, but the reality is most ordinary cars of the same year are GONE in most of the country, because nobody cares enough about a rusty 15yo Camry to fix even minor issues with it. But people will preserve an old luxury or…

Wiring harnesses need maintenance too. Grounds need to be cleaned on occasion, and so do electrical connectors from the days before they were sealed. There are very few cars that actually have harnesses that rot, but replacing those is a maintenance item too. The problem is that because people DON'T maintain cars,…

My '74 Triumph Spitfire is 100% reliable. I would hop in it and drive it to California tomorrow if I thought I would be able to walk once I got there (they are NOT comfortable cars). It is also extremely well maintained, and was restored correctly. British cars got a bad rap because the new ones were terribly put…

Having owned several 240s, I can assure you that Volvo 740 and 940s are significantly MORE durable than a 240, while being infinitely more reliable. And pretty much anything decent and modern will be more reliable than any of them, while being at least as durable given the same level of care (of which they required…

Actually, my Grandmother still has the washing machine and dryer she bought in *1969*. Maytag, no surprise. Built like battleships. No fancy features, they just wash clothes and dry them. But they use a ton of water and electricity, and I shudder to think how much they cost new in 2014 dollars. I would have rather had…

Different emissions system in CA. Not at all unusual in those days.

Not a fair comparison. Range Rovers have all sorts of things to go wrong that Honda Accords do not. You will never have an air suspension issue in an Accord. Or an electric steering column issue. For the bits that both cars have, there is likely not a lot between them. The most reliable car is the car with the least…

Why would it even matter? Nobody who owns a Land Rover cares how reliable it is, because it has other more interesting attributes. All anyone who owns a Toyota seems to care about is the reliability, because other than that, what would they have to talk about?

And in other news, the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Here's a personal example - I had an '02 Jeep Grand Cherokee (I6) for a couple years. I put 15K on it and had minimal mechanical issues. I drove it very gently out of deference to its age and mileage. I sold it to a female friend of mine, who drives…

I was a very happy NorthWest Platinum elite for many years. After the "merger" with Delta, I found them so horrid that I actually started over with no status with US Airways 1/1/11. I've been Chairman's elite with them the past few years, and find very little to complain about. Wish their hub was still Pittsburgh…

I've drifted a 40' transit bus in the snow. Does that count? Kind of fun, too.

Meh, he can drive my e91 328i and write the same thing.

Once the N54 fuel pump issues were sorted out (and it was a debacle when they were new), that engine has proven to be quite reliable. The N55 has been very reliable so far. The price you pay for being on the bleeding edge of technology in 2006. The non-turbo engines are certainly quite reliable. All premium cars…

The 1M has the twin-turbo N54 motor, not anything in the "S" series. It is the same engine as any other pre-2011 135i but with a factory chiptune and a louder exhaust. BMWCCA buddy of mine has an identical car to that one - it is very fun ride.

You'd just punt it into a tree...

New England would have much more likely have been a Volvo or Mercedes wagon. These boats were waaay more Midwest than New England.

Yikes, almost $10K for a major service at an indy shop - imagine what it would cost at a dealer. That said, one of my Saab Club buddies owns a 328 and maintains it entirely himself. He does say the parts costs are absolutely unbelievable if it is anything that has to come from Ferrari.

Yikes!