I put 163000 miles on my '77 Gremlin AMX, and collected a shelf-full of trophies from several years of SCCA timetrial racing. Apart from wearing out clutches and transmission syncros, only the standard stuff such as belts, hoses, and seals needed replacement. The bright red paint with a racing stripe made it a ticket magnet for the local constabulary, and I paid quite a bit in traffic fines. It was still buzzing around town 5 years later.

My '84 Mustang GT made 187000 enthusiastic miles before the oil pump cratered during a road trip, and I just signed the title over to the mechanic rather than pay for the repairs. The transmission and waterpump were replaced at around 120k, and the Texas heat kept loosening the headliner glue. I carried a staple gun around to tack the cloth back up when stopped at train crossings. Great fun to drive, and the maroon paint didn't seem to attract so many troupers.

My '92 Lil' Jimmy has recurrent AC problems, but other than that has been reliable so far. The only time it's stopped in transit the mechanic had intalled the wrong sparkplugs, and eventually the electrodes burned down. At 160000 miles it still seems to be running strong. (So far, nothing but parking tickets ;)

All of my cars have run OK so far, but the heat here seems to take a toll on the interiors. From other folks I've known, the Taurus and Dynasty series have been among the worst of the Detroit tincans during the last decade or so. Most of those little furrin' cars just don't seem to have enough elbow room for me, so I apart from a few years of racing a MG Midget (also tremendous fun!) all of my comments would be at least 2nd hand info.

~S~