Once upon a time, a quality car was UNDERSTOOD to be built to last as long as a house. But some have also required high maintenance as a matter of course. Ken Purdy said the Rolls-Rovce Phantom III was "...understood to require the services of a man and a boy full time." Yet the contemporary 25/30 "baby" Rolls is a user-friendly pussycat. The old 600 Mercedes was at the opposite end of the spectrum from the bread and butter cars so far as mechanical support went.