Times I've been stranded in Brits:

Two and one half times:

1.) 74 MGB-GT, blew the engine, long story, had another engine, after I got myself home on a train (about 130 miles), convinced my brother to take me back to my car and haul it back with his truck to my mechanic who swapped engines with the roadster, thus ending its life. Never had another engine problem with the GT, though. I bought the '74 GT for $1400, and the '71 Roadster for $1250 IIRC. Roadster held on for one more year, GT lasted six. I was a little more keen on the Roadster because it had wires, I prefer the '71 front grill (most people don't like them I hear), and it had the passenger side mirror on the fender.
Anyway...

2.) Right around the same place (between Chicago and St. Louis) my radiator blew up. Towed back again. I pulled the radiator myself and had it all welded up and replaced it. I'm not that hamfisted.

2 1/2.) My radiator hose blew. I walked off the highway into some small town and bought another one. Then later on, like 650 miles later, it was overheating. Changed the thermostat in some creepy little town in Georgia and never had another problem with this car until it all went to hell over the course of one month years later.

I drove the GT for six years, year round and every day in Chicago. Even in the Winter. Parked it on the street in Lincoln Park. It would get so cold the temp gauge would warm up at a light, and then drop considerably while driving to the next light. It always started. Wipers always worked. Unreal. I put a lot into the car cosmetic wise, mahogany wheel, mahogany trim on the doors, lots of new trim pieces. The car was in great shape outside, too. White, no rust. Tube shock conversions were already in place.

I left Chicago with all my belongings in it including two cats and travelled from Chicago to Ohio and Pennsylvania, then to St. Louis and then to New Orleans, where I lived for a year and continued to drive the car daily. Then back to St. Louis for grad school. It was still cruising when it finally gave out-bad clutch, bad suspension, electrical problems, and it needed all kinds of things I can't think of.

Bottom line, the car was a tank. It wasn't plagued with the BS problems so many have like my Roadster did, electrics and so on.
I still have a basement full of parts and I'm waiting to get another one, but the prices have gone way up for some mysterious reason. I blame ebay. These cars don't have the kind of "rare, collector" values their owners pretensiously aver. They are simple, fun and cool, British styled sportscars for people who don't have the money or the priorities to justify a Jag or Aston but have tastes better than a Fiat! They were behind the times in the 60's and 40 years later they're totally antique. I love them.

All told, my GT cost me less than $6000 to own and operate for six years. That includes purchase, insurance, repairs, tires and tags. Everything but gas and oil. I figured this out before I plopped down 10K for my Exploder four years ago. I knew it was going to be BS. Sorry for the long post.