My wife's Rainier just puked again though, so i guess I have to go spend time with that instead now. I swear these old squares are far more reliable - anybody else agree with that or am I nuts?
I agree but it's a matter of opinion/taste.
Many (most?) people would say that because we keep having to tinker with the carbs and replacing gaskets and fluids, that they're not reliable. But from my limited experience, these trucks never stop. No matter how badly out of tune I have my engine, it just wants to keep pushing. And, most important, they're easy to work on. They're friendly and inviting and play nicely with whatever parts you want to put under the hood.
Now lets compare that to a modern car owned by an average person who know's squat about the mechanics of the car they're driving. The car may drive well without any maintenance for a while but eventually something will break and then the owner will be screwed because it will mean a major repair or replacement.
Before I bought my truck, I drove a '94 acura legend. Other than a CV shaft replacement and a thermostat replacement, it was the most reliable car ever. Until the head gasket cracked. The only way to replace the head gaskets it to take the whole engine out, which is an extremely daunting task because of how the engine is packed into this tiny engine bay. The car was killed. Is that reliable?