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Alternatively, I have a Crown Victoria, the alternator is the first thing when you pop the hood, it can be swapped with under an hour of labor.

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The Crown Victoria is quite pleasant to work on in general, although changing the rear spark plugs on my '86 was a huge pain--not as bad as a transverse V6, though!

I agree, that was a considerable factor in my purchase of it - in general though, all of the modular V8 engines have the alternator right on top of the sucker, and all of them are easyish to work on.

I have a 1986 Camaro too.

It has a small block V8 and it's a dream to work on any bolt-on component, unlike most newer vehicles.

The Crown Victoria was the go-to for police forces across North America for decades. Maybe the key to getting a repairable car is getting one that is commonly used in fleets? (I know nothing about repairing cars, but would be interested in getting a repairable car if only to avoid the need for dealer repairs)

The things that made the crown vic more repairable are unique to it:

Physically large car, so there is plenty of room to get in and out to work.

Body on Frame instead of unibody construction, so damaged body panels are easy to change out.

Unchanging Design: the final body design was originated in 1992 on the Grand Marquis, and is otherwise unchanged.

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