740Box Quick question, if the car jumps timing or there is some timing belt issue, would it die suddenly?
It could do, if the timing jumps far enough. You would hear it when cranking, the normal putt-putt-putt of the engine turning over would sound different.
If the battery is charged, a failed alternator should not prevent the car from running. With these older cars, they typically will run on battery power alone for some amount of time (depends on the size/health of the battery and how many other things you have switched on like AC, stereo, headlights, etc, but a few minutes up to 30-40 minutes).
If your alternator dies or is not able to supply enough current to keep the battery charged, your car would drive like normal (probably all your warning lights would be on at once, but it's not always the case), then the battery would drain, and the car would die, and you would not be able to crank it (or it would barely crank).
If you're stranded, the first thing I would try is giving the fuel pump under the car a few love taps with a big spanner to see if it's a failed pump. Next I would pull the coil lead and hold it to the manifold and verify whether or not you have spark. If you are cranking but have no spark, the issue is likely the crank position sensor.
Edit: also, the mechanic you took it to does sound terrible, if for no other reason than "I couldn't get it to start, also nothing is wrong".
