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That's why when I call a shop for repairs I no longer want to do I explain to them that while my car is older it's not a rusted out sh*tbox. I am spoiled myself as my wife's car is 2 years old and except for the Black my cars don't see winters. However this summer I did spray the fuel and brake lines with undercoating. Hopefully that will help.

I agree about the upper Midwest for interior parts. Our temperatures are very moderate and the plastic and leather is not dried out.

You guys in the land of salt sure have a lot of problems with steel brake lines and fittings. Around here that is seldom a problem. You would think the car makers would have anticipated that being a problem with the brake and fuel lines and used a different metal that wouldn't be so prone to rust. I guess there decisions are based more on cost than longevity.

Interesting this subject came up now. Originally this would have been a post in What did you do....etc. My intention was to put the Reatta up for the winter, which is at my cottage in the heart of deer country in this state. When the Reatta goes to sleep, the old 4wd Ranger wakes up for the winter. The wake up wasn't an issue but it promptly blew a front brake line before it even got off the lift where it is stored😢 My own fault too, grrrr. I just replaced all the rear brake lines earlier this year for the same issue, and, the power steering lines which had a rust hole in the steel part. I knew the front brake lines looked bad but for for some reason it fell off my radar and now I must address them. Some of the rear lines I replaced were available in pre fabricated form, which is nice since F**d in their wisdom uses different sized fittings on opposite ends of various lines which makes just buying generic lines at the FLAPS untenable. For some reason, front lines for a 4wd 25year Ranger old are not available prefabricated🤨, which requires I make the lines myself with a large selection of fittings for the ends. Not happy about that but even more concerned about taking the Buick slowly back home at this time of the year, through a deer gauntlet. Visions of what happened to Daves89 old black car when #1 son decided to drive it one more time because of nice weather under similar conditions and losing the right fender, headlight assembly and hood due to a deer encounter. At the risk of jinxing myself, I have never hit a deer, "knock on head", but I have hit turkeys and chickens which seem to be particularly suicidal by doubling back in front of the vehicle after initially reaching safety.

Good for you that you got so many parts off of it. I saw it and actually thought that you should have taken the parts of the Red you bought from me and put it on that car, but it still worked out and two Reattas made one nice one. On another front it was a real non Reatta week for me as my youngest daughter asked me to do an oil change and while doing that I told her she needed an alignment and new tires. As luck would have it I found a set of Michelins that were the correct size and only one month old. Less then 1/2 price of new and off to Firestone for an alignment. The work was done and they told her she needed brakes so that project looks to be next week. Then my neighbor comes over and says the serpentine belt is squealing on his son's 2003 Pontiac Sunfire. I went to get a belt and thought I was all set. Got the car in the air took off the driver's side wheel and plastic shrouds and saw that the tensioner had come loose. 3o minutes later tensioner is tightened down and shrouds and wheel back on and all is good. Dave's Garage is now closed for the weekend. Dave's Detail Shop opens tomorrow for a wash, wax, and inside cleaning of the Black. Hope no one distracts me...