You're just lucky. I bought a new '89 Excel hatchback, and strictly followed all the maintenance schedules. Despite that, the engine had several catastrophic failures due to poor metallurgy and parts breakage. The plastics throughout the car were the worst I've ever seen. Some plastic replacement parts would fail after just 6 months!
I had that similar experience with a 76 Volvo. I had a 70 Volvo and liked it so well that I went out and got a new 76 top of the line Volvo SW. The engine had the cam shafts replaced every 11,000 miles, the electrical switches had to be replaced almost as often and the wiring that was used was terrible. After 24,000 miles, I dumped the 76 and my 70 was still running strong.