I had a friend who always said the British sports cars like MG & Triumph were the number one reason why the Mazda Miata was such a great seller. Same size, similar performance, fun to drive and they ALWAYS STARTED.
An even better car was the second version of the Toyota MR2. The mid/rear engine Turbo 1.8 liter MR2 they came out with in the 1990s was a great little car. They are highly sought after today. There is a guy who works in the office next to mine that has one. He constantly gets people asking IF he will sell it.
“and they ALWAYS STARTED.”
my first car was a 1970 Mach I; after that, my number one criteria for a new car was that it would always start when you turned the key ... my second criteria was that the brakes would work ... my 3rd criteria was that replacing ALL the spark plugs would be easy ... my 4th criteria was that ALL the hydraulic valve lifters could be replaced without first removing the engine ... and so forth ... in fact, my final criteria was that i would never, ever buy another American car in my lifetime ... it was a very good lesson owning a 1970’s piece of shite American car ...