It has gone 7 miles so far and it's doing what it's supoosed to. I put the head gasket tester on it and the fluid stayed blue until the antifreeze expanded and contaminated it.

When the belt broke, it took 1-2 minutes from the time that I noticed the battery light until the hose exploded. It probably took another 30 seconds for me to work my way to the right hand side of the interstate and get into the emergency lane. The gauge still read normal when I shut it down and started coasting. I had to start it 2-3 more times to run up to coasting speed again (30 mph or so) so I could make it into a parking lot - a few seconds each time. The gauge did reach the 3/4 mark at the end. The longest trips in this thing are going to be 3 1/2 miles for a while before I trust it.

When I lost the water pump in my e30, it took another two weeks before the head gasket gave up. And that car has a turbo. A couple of days later, I had a new head gasket on it and it's still going. I love the simplicity and reliability of the M20.