Randall wrote:
>I guess it's all in your frame of mind ...
>
I think Randall got this one right as usual. :) "Worst" and
"reliability" are relative terms, and I've learned much from the
"opportunities" to repair my daily drivers over the last decade. But
living in a neighborhood of Suburbans, Volvo Cross Countries, and BMW
X5s, I get plenty of neighborly ribbing about my 5-car fleet with an
average age of 34 years.
Seems to me newer-car owners view reliability differently than old-car
guys. Example #1: a friend had been driving his Subaru wagon 4 miles
each way to work for over a decade, and he was ready for an upgrade. As
I tagged along on test drives, I learned that his first priority was to
find a dealership close to his house. He wanted to make sure it would be
easy for his wife to shuttle him to the dealership. Now, he EXPECTS his
new car to be in the dealership regularly -- yet rolls his eyes at the
reliability of my family car.*
He bought an Acura, and of course he hasn't had any problems. Not much
of a punchline, sorry. I think if I paid $30K for a new car, I'd insist
it was reliable no matter what.
* I've had my TR4 towed two times in 6 years and 45K miles -- the first
1 1/2 hours after I bought the car, and the second years ago when I
mangled the cork sediment bowl gasket without a spare handy. I haven't
had it to the Triumph dealership since I've owned it. In fairness, I've
fixed this or that on the way home countless times.
Steven Newell
Littleton, CO USA
'62 TR4 x 2
'66 Volvo 122S wagon
'76 Mercedes 240D
'91 Range Rover Classic
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