A carb might cause hard starting or running problems, but unless the float(s) sunk, all you had to do was flow air through it and it would meter fuel.
Our first three Hondas had carbs, including our two '86 Civics and other than a rebuild around 120K (for cleaning), they never caused problems. Of course, the FI on our current cars causes no problems either, but if we should run into FI problems, the cost of repair will likely exceed anything you would see with a carb.
Old style points in distributor ignition systems did require regualr attention, but were also transparently simple. Almost nothing could ever go wrong that you couldn't readily figure out and fix.
I guess I'm trying to say that there are no simple cars in the classic sense anymore, and such cars will never be built again.
OTOH, current cars have a level of reliability and durability unheard of not too long ago.