On a more serious note than my last posting, breakdowns should not be
"common" if you are doing proper maintenance: Checking fluids every
fill-up, replacing hoses and belts every two to four years depending on
your mileage and ozone pollution, regular tune-ups, tire and brake
maintenance and a new battery every five or six years should keep your
car pretty reliable. Do this and anything that breaks down will likely
be major and require a tow anyway.
I have been driving my 1965 MGB daily since I bought it used in 1969
(over 200,000 miles now on the ticker) and it has never broken down on
the highway. Only twice has it failed to start, once from a drained
battery because the lights were left on, and recently from fouled plugs
due to the short trip driving we did in the winter (lots of choke). You
can't beat 28 years of reliable service, even if I have replaced every
part on the car at least once!
I'll admit I rebuilt the engine and transmission a hundred thousand
miles ago. I have also installed a Crane electronic ingnition system,
and that has been 100% reliable, not to mention the improved
performance. Unbelievably, the original fuel pump was still working
fine when I replaced it last year because I couldn't believe it could
possibly last much longer.
Maybe I am just lucky, but good preventive maintenance is still a big
part of it. Good luck!
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