I just spent close to a grand at my local GM dealership to repair a hard to reach brake line rupture that "the small mechanic down the road" decided the repair was beyond his capabilities. Sad thing was that he had my car parked outside for 2weeks with rain and tree leaves making a mess on the paint before he finally came to that realization.
I had my car hauled to the dealership and and the repairs were completed promptly. Unfortunately, the labor rate at $125 per hour adds up pretty quick. Brake line and new caliper was about $90 bucks and balance was for labor.
Bottom line is that with over 25 years of ownership, I have as much, or more, in repairs as I paid for the car. But, it's over 25 years of enjoyment of owning such a unique vehicle.