Miata vs original Elan

And on that standard wire diagram, brown is 12v, hot, unfused.

I'm not going to try grounding that, as Baxter suggests...

I think that might let all the smoke out.

Oops. You're right.

Hey, it's been a while since I've poked at one.

I had a point, but I'll just shut up now.

I didn't want to say it...

But it helps prove my point! Doesn't matter what LBC car we're talking about, it's the same discussion.

The repair/upgrade thing in many cases was due to the aforementioned lack of maintenance. Many Brit cars of the '60's and '70's required a 500 mile head gasket retorque, for instance. If that wasn't done yes the head gasket could quite possibly fail prematurely. BL would pay for it at the 500 mile service, you had to file a warranty claim for it. I know for a fact the Triumph/MG dealer in Columbia SC wasn't doing the head gasket retorque in the 1970's even though the technicians were getting paid for it.

Sure, there were premature failures but I bet if we could find warranty records from the era we'd probably find the total percentage of warranty failures would be pretty much the same across the board no matter who built the cars.

Yeah, connectors corroding were the #1 problem with Lucas electrics but people would just assume it was some horrendous problem deep in the wiring harness and go batE36 M3 trying to fix it. Talk about ham handed repairs; I fixed a rear harness on an MGB where a DPO (Dreaded Previous Owner) had used that brown 'zip cord' (lamp cord) to 'fix' the lights and 'insulated' it with masking tape.

If Baxter ever helps me with LBC wiring repairs I'm gonna keep a close eye on him. BTW, the standardized main color coding (IIRC): black ground, brown constant hot unfused, purple constant hot fused, white ignition switch hot, red instrument and running lights, blue headlights, green turn signals and brake lights.There's others like yellow etc used for other odds n' ends. Tracers tell you things like what side, high or low beam etc.

Don't get me wrong. I'd LOVE to have a Lotus, MGB, Jag, etc. I've seen some atrocious electrical situations. I hate the under dash side of the work, but love the sense of accomplishment when the thing works again!

Even the vaunted Japanese companies fall prey to bad maintenance. I had an '80 LUV from which some PO had removed the entire fuse block. He left no fuses at all in the electrical system.
Oh, yes, there was masking and/or Scotch tape on those few splices that were insulated.

I sent this to my Dad who had a 64 Elan. He and his best friend also were big into Sprites and had a number of Morris Minor's hidden out at his friend's farm. This same friend was visiting dad one day when we lived out in BeaverCreek, OR (otherwise known as "The Woods" or the Cabin) and mom sent dad out to get a loaf of bread. So dad and friend (who is a serious driver in his own right) take off in the Elan. By the time they get back, the friend has sworn off riding with dad forever. He stated emphatically that no loaf of bread was worth his life. Dad just giggled with a twinkle in his eye.

Dad is in his sixties now, not quite the driver he once was, but he can still cause me to reach for the armrests under braking, the man is the king of the late-brakers. I suspect that when I buy my Miata (hopefully after the tax returns come back), I'll need to make sure to not loan it to him, I'll never get it back!

I have owned a couple of Range Rovers over the years and, despite impeccable maintenance using only original parts, came to regret it heartily.

My dad has owned one for a long time and has spent ghastly amounts of money to put under 200,000 miles on it. More than I have spent in repairs on all 45 cars I've owned since I started driving. I added up the bills recently and it came just shy of $40,000. (Not counting the purchase price. Or the rust repair and paint job.)

I obviously can't speak to all of them, but at least some British cars are not as reliable as other comparable cars.

There's a reason that Range Rovers are one of the more depreciation-prone vehicles out there. The second generation (square headlights) are so bad that even Land Rover owners single them out.

But if you're willing to deal with some non-functional electrical doodads (oh no, the power locks don't work anymore!), they're a fantastic deal. Lots of off-road prowess for the money. I'd probably go with the Classic (round headlight) myself though.