Engine Management stuff can fail at any age really though especiualy the ECU unit. Its just a box of electronics isn't it? ECUs have been known to fail on newer cars as well.

I think Escort sized cars and anything smaller are fine they are still quite simple even with the ECU units. Its the larger cars such as Ford Scorpios, Rover 800s, maybe even Vectras and Mondoe I would avoid as they are known to be complex to fix and have unreliable wiring looms. An ECU/Electronic Ignition has to be better than a distrubutor that got damp in the winter so your car would never start.