Well, I think I deserved this: previously I owned another GM rust bucket (1982 Century), and aside from the usual issues it had, the most annoying one was wires (that is, electrical wires) that tended to break wherever they flexed the most (doors, trunk, and to a much lesser extent, the hood).
So, last night, when the weather was relatively comfortable (above freezing, where here we are in deep freeze most of the winter) I checked the exterior bulbs for any of them blown. Lo and behold, one of the rear license plate bulbs was out. Easy, I thought, just get a replacement and be done. To be sure, I buzzed the bulb - blown. Got a replacement, plugged in - no joy. Scratch the head a bit, checked for voltage presence - nope. Hmmm... Started tracing the wires, and what do you know: where they flex the most (on this car, they followed the left trunk arm and then split and ended in a connector) 3 out of 8 (yes, three) were completely separated, with another one having a split insulation and copper showing. Bloody GM were saving a penny on not-so-stranded wires (probably 5-7 strands of 22 or 24 AWG, where they should have at least 30 of 30 AWG or thinner), with the knowledge that these will fail after 5-7 years of service.
My advice to any of you with cars in that age range (5-7 years or older) and with a malfunctioning equipment mounted in the doors (whatever that may be: light switch, speakers, electric locks) - check them wires for broken (or worst - exposed copper) insulation and copper. This is a hazard that may turn into a fireball - I'm not kidding: these wire are on theinside of the trunk, possibly very close to the gas fill-up. All you need is a good spark, some flammable material, and voila - you got yourself a slightly scorched trunk. Beware.
I wonder if this should be further reported? Your opinion/s?