OK, we can help you with almost all of that:
Not quite.
Electrics have got nothing to do with 'crisis management' or 'automotive maintenance', they are things that just stop working and need fixing, indicators, windows, headlight motor mechanisms. Many connections throughout the X1/9 are poor, but no one, as regular maintenance, is going to clean every connection throughout an X1/9, let alone any car, on the chance it may fail. They do it when it fails. You are right about one thing, which goes for much of the car, it is basic, and anyone with some basic mechanical and electrical knowledge can fix it.
Blown head gaskets are simple physics, not just limited to X1/9's, but for any engine with an alloy head and iron block, the two different metals, expand and contract differently, so being more prone to blown head gaskets. That was the beauty of the old Alfa's, they used Alloy Blocks and Heads, as do all performance sports cars, Porsche, Audi, Alfa,.... the list goes on.
Driving position is not helped by having no column adjustments, so even those with thighs bigger than a stick insect struggle to get under the wheel.
Anemic heater in not about temperature, it's about airflow, or lack there of, so for those not in California,waiting for the windscreen to demist is a life time.
As for the wipers, why should anyone need to stuff around with a relay to make it work, it should work off the factory floor, that is the whole point.
Mine is not a criticism of X1/9's, having brought my first one in my early 20's and then, 10 years later another one, and another one 10 years after that as a parts car for the 2nd one. It's just a frank opinion of life with an X1/9, it's not modern, it's semi-reliable, it's basic, it's an arse to work on, but it's quirky, fun to drive and own, and is an iconic classic that doesn't really get the recognition it deserves. It is much more historically significant than so many underwhelming classics.