I second Digger's advice to head for Black Bear. 99 miles is chicken-feed. People travel there from a lot further - and that's just for the donuts.
Forums are dodgy places to go to get a feel for brand reliability. People are far more likely to post when they've had a bad experience, and that gives a false impression. The Hornet's Nest can make even the Honda Hornet seem less than perfect, and they are about as reliable as bikes get. (Added to that, this Forum has the delight that is
and his XB-hating ways...)
If you fancy an XT and you like the riding experience, get one. Yes, there's a chance that it'll be unreliable. But there's a fair chance a 1200GS will be unreliable too. And plenty of us have tens of thousands of reliable XB miles under our belts.
And if you haven't ridden one yet, give yourself a decent chance to get used to it. They feel very weird for the first few minutes. And very wonderful for the next few years after that...
Good luck.
Al