I can identify with this. My 'wrenching' days were MG Midgets, Hillman Avengers etc and ended with my first Mk1 Golf - the Golf required very little beyond basic maintenance and I haven't had an exhaust replaced on any car since 1980. That includes a couple of Audis that I ran to 200k+ miles.
There's so little maintenance that needs doing these days- I started with the old Holden six bangers- 'tune up' every few months (plugs and points, oil change every second tuneup at six months, a set of triple webers that you had to fiddle with the tune every month or so to keep it running well, 4 wheel drums that needed to be adjusted every few months or it started to try and spear you off into the bush or into oncoming cars when you braked, and if you ran petrol from farm tanks or '44's' regular cleaning of the mesh fuel filters with an old toothbrush and once a year or so, carefully pouring small amounts of water deliberately down the throats of the carbs while running to 'decoke' the engine... adjust the valves once a year
The 'joys' of keeping the older cars running...
And all that to get about 100hp from a 179 cubic inches (3l) of 6 cylinder that drank fuel petrol at 15l/100km and over 16 seconds to get from 0 to 100kmh... topped out at 160kmh
In comparison, I got the Hilux ute (still a slug, its an old 1999 non turbo diesel- about the same 0-100 times) but its a 4wd, and can tow the car trailer loaded and still manage 10l/100km (oil change and oil/air filters once a year) or the Corolla (same for it- once a year gets filters/oil done at rego time)- apart from that never had a spanner laid on its motor in over 400000km - 132hp from a 1800cc motor that gets about 8l/100 and does 0-100 in under 8 seconds with a top speed of near enough 200kmh
Oh I'd love an EH again- one of Holdens best looking cars imho- but I don't miss the 'joy' of keeping them running...
Mine was a wagon same colour scheme as this
And its the 'EH Special- same as mine was (the upmarket version lol)- you got no seatbelts, no A/C, but you got the chrome side stripes and you got TWO speed wipers and fan instead of the single speed ones... and a valve AM only radio (that didn't work in mine lol), hand cranked windows (the old '1/4 vent' windows were your 'A/C' lol) with a '3 on the tree' column shift manual (there was an auto available, very few were sold, as they were both slower and a lot thirstier on fuel- the old 2 speed hydramatic- all two gears in the auto- low and drive... Oh and the dismal 35/55w sealed beam headlights- at night you were lucky to be able to see more than 20m on high beam lol- the lux and the Corolla you can see further on low beam than the EH's high beams...
Instrumentation was 'basic'- a speedo and fuel gauge...
The 'safer' EH dash- no seatbelts- but you got a padded dash edge on the steel dashboard!!!! (thats a rare beast... auto!!!)
I miss the old girl though...