Brand loyal or just like a good vehicle?

Not in my experience. I do remember having to replace a timing chain on a sbc on the side of the road once. That does not count how many non Mopar vehicles my brothers and friends have that have died on a trip. I started driving my kids from Timonium,MD to Marion SD every summer to visit their grandfather. Never a mechanical problem. 78 Plymouth station wagon, K car wagon, 73 Dart 4 door.
You had good luck and that's great, but that still doesn't mean that it couldn't happen, after all it's mechanical