What's that saying, something about quick lashups lasting forever... I do have to do something better about my AST PowerExec though, two alligator clips to the battery terminals off a jumpered ATX supply is a bit iffy.
Story along that line about a microwave, sometime in late oughts, I kerbfind a microwave, bit battered looking but the relatives are always moving around and needing appliances etc.. so I grab it.. check it out at home, it's working, knock the worst dents out and clean it up, and put it in reserve. About a month later, our microwave dies. So 1st tour of duty, about 3 years, didn't see any good deals or models that appealed, finally bought a "nice" one, it lasted about 10 days past the warranty running out, just went totally dead... 2nd tour of duty for the old beater... another 3 or 4 years... during which time, it developed rust around the frame of the door, cleaned up and patched over with the aluminum metal duct tape... then the door release broke... just a plastic peg in the press button hinge sheared off, I was able to patch in a metal peg with epoxy... goes another few months... oooh, good sale on nice looking microwaves... new microwave... does about a year and 2 months and the turntable drive motor burns out... couple of months lead time for the part.. 3rd tour of duty for the old beater... another 2 years, never got round to ordering the turntable motor... this time touch wood, cross fingers, it's replacement seems to have lasted well outside the warranty... but old faithful is kept ready in the basement still, patched, scarred and fugly though it is.
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.