Jim,
I am an XLR specialist in my shop, if they come in I work on them, period.
The only time I don't work on them is if they come in for routine maintenance like oil changes and tire rotations. The only exception to that is if I am so busy that I can't get to them, but usually they reschedule unless it is an emergency. (sometimes I'll look quickly and order a part then tell them to come back if it is a simple thing like a trim item) I have many regular customers with every year XLR and some V's. I see all the problems that these cars have and by my count it isn't many.
Sure the folding tops can be glitchy, but if you know how to read the data when they act up they can be fixed in less than half an hour by a simple sensor replacement.
I have only heard once of a hydraulic line breaking and it was on this forum.
Some issues I have done battle with for a while but once I figure them out it is nothing much to deal with. The hardest job I have had is probably a catalytic converter issue and even those aren't that hard to fix. (just expensive)
I could rattle off everything I have ever fixed on an XLR but compared to other models it would be pretty short. Maybe repetitive, but short.
I can't afford one, and they don't really suit my style but I can still appreciate that it is a great looking car and it seems to fit the market that Cadillac made it for fairly well.
You are right, these cars do like to be driven. Some of the real problem cars I see are the ones with really low miles that don't get used much. Not to say they are falling apart, they just act up more when they don't get used regularly.
I understand your point about values. I just don't see why it matters if you buy what you want and you like it, that makes it worth almost anything to me. It matters only what it is "worth" to the person that owns it, otherwise you are just worrying about what other people think of you and what you have and that to me is just silly.
For example, I have a motorcyle that is aging... even though it is aging well.
I don't care if it is worth $500 or $10,000, if I go out to get on it, it starts, and it takes me where I want to go that is all I need. Worrying about it's value everytime I see another bike on the road and comparing them side by side constantly is just a waste of my brain power. I have other things I'd rather expend my energy on.
Not dissing anyone here, just stating my opinion.
I know everyone understands that my opinion is limited by my personal views on things and I respect that others have different views, but that doesn't mean they necessarily make sense to me from my perspective.
Thanks for tolerating my diatribes folks.