I purchased my Mirror pressure canner probably 15-20 years ago. The nice thing is that it comes with a book and gives fairly nice details on how to process most meats. However, it does not give details on stews or soups that have a lot of mixed ingredients. It did give details (I should say timing amounts) for broth, so that is probably similar to soup base. I too would like to can some stews and soups, but haven't ventured there yet.
I did have to replace the main seal on my canner about 3 years after purchase. But it was my own fault. I tend to put a tablespoon of vinegar in the canner when processing to hold down the lime deposit on the jars. I wasn't good about washing the canner properly when finished (was always in a hurry with two jobs, plus trying to can and cook and clean), by completely removing the rubber seal and washing it individually. Now I wash it properly when I'm finished using it and have had no further problems, although I suppose it is possible those things could naturally wear out so as not to give the canner a good seal and need to be replaced.
