@Gordon Nichols posted:In it's defense, it was almost always easy to fix stuff, but parts were Porsche-level expensive, there was this amazing mix of technologies from around 1938 to present day and that air-ride rear suspension was simply too expensive to fix once it inevitably died. Still, I noticed that she wasn't especially upset when it skidded on ice, hit a pole and was totaled (she and her son were both strapped in and fine) and she immediately replaced it with a Subaru which has been in the shop exactly never.
I had a Sprinter work van once. It during the Daimler/Chrysler years, and was branded as a Dodge Ram but came from the MB plant in South Carolina. The truck spent more time in the (special, Sprinter certified) shop than it did on the job. It started rusting within a month of purchase. It cost nearly $40K almost 20 years ago.
I put 80,000 trouble-filled miles on it before totaling it. Similar used Sprinters were available all over for $13K +/-. I got almost $25K for it from the insurance company. It was by far the best possible outcome for me.
Pity I had to almost kill myself to get out from under owning the thing.