In article , G.R. Patterson III wrote:
A single professional commuting to work in New Jersey NEEDS a dependable car.

Many older cars are very dependable. The last car I had that *wasn't*
dependable was a 1969 Mini (which I did make dependable in the end when
I learned that you have to replace the points and condenser each oil
change, and waterproof the distributor, and put a battery that was less
than 10 years old in it, owning a car older than you are teaches you
things)

I've not had a car actually break down and leave me at the roadside
since 1994, and I've only owned used vehicles.

A modern turbodiesel should be good for 200-300K miles. My Dad's last
turbodiesel Peugeot lasted 350K miles and was dependable.

Whatever car you own, if your job depends on 100% uptime of your
vehicle, you better have an alternate lined up. Even new cars have been
known to break down.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"