My concern with the old stock is the Mk2s, i.e. the potential lack of a lounge car, which is 99% of the enjoyment of the Highlander. There's little enjoyment in failing to sleep in a small box in the actual sleeper coach.
That's a fair point, but if I had the choice between getting to my intended destination (Spean Bridge, in my case) in reasonable comfort in a Mk3 sleeper (lounge car or no lounge car), or being stranded overnight at Euston with no accommodation or, worse, put on an overnight coach, I know exactly which option I would choose. A lot of the regular travellers I know, trying to get back to remote parts of the Highlands, would pick that option too. The Mk5s simply cannot be relied on at the moment.
When it comes to lounge cars, I often find that even if one is dead on the Highlander, the other portion will have a working one (though it will probably be restricted to first class, and very busy, a takeaway service will still be available). Then the Fort William portion has its own lounge car which comes on at Edinburgh. The chance of all three of these being dead remains fairly small (although Mk2 reliability is dwindling, I do agree). Admittedly, I became a regular traveller in the Scotrail era and soon developed coping strategies for all these issues with the old stock, which were prevalent even five years ago. The convenience of the service was a big attraction to me (and many other regulars) back then; we did not necessarily see it as the 'luxury experience' that Serco are trying to market it as now (although it has been, and always will be, my favourite rail journey anywhere).
