I have been in 2 versions of my present one since 77. As far as automobiles go, its service to me has been reliable enough to act as a daily driver for a number of decades. Let it sit for 6 years, dump some 5 gallons of gas in the tank to freshen up whatever dregs in the tank, hit the key, let the electric fuel pump fill the bow, and VROOM--whithout cranking.

Greg points out something interesting: The cars seem to enjoy being rung out on a regular basis, and I'm sure that it explains the reliable service. In fact, I just got in from wringing it out. (The Northstar engine has taken its share of bad raps. But the problems seem directly related to ol geezers never operating the engine above 1.1k. It's a hypo engine, and the owners who operte it as a hypo engine don't blow up engines like the old biddies do. Although not as brutal as with the bird, I ring out the sts on a regular basis, and it's a happy camper.)