[Hugh R]

Took the 97 Mazda 626 in today for a front end align and front brakes at Pep Boys. They told me the tranny is failing (duh, like I didn't know its vibrating and making noises for the last two years). I'd have done the brake job myself, but with $10 each for disc turning and $40 for pads, their $60 deal looked pretty good. Trannie costs $2,100 and the car is worth about $1,300 on a good day. Has 145k miles, the A/C works *****in, and it runs. So, I took it home without the work. On reflection, I'm going to take it back tomorrow and get the alignment and brakes. The trannie will probably ***** the bed Monday, but its my drive into LA car. Oh, and the struts are shot, and the paint is going, drivers side bolster on seat is gone and stuffing is coming out. I haven't made payments on the thing in 7 years. And it get 25 mpg on regular. The only thing I've put into it is tires and brake pads, plus regular maintenance.

What about you, do you maintain a vehicle and drive it until it costs more to repair than it's worth, or do you change cars every few years? I'm not talking a pcar, but a regular commuter traffic driver. I calculate the mpg with regular on the Mazda compared to the 911 which needs premium and the Mazda is 50% less $ per mile for gasoline than the 911. Going to and from work in LA with stop and go traffic and an automatic trannie and really good A/C, I usually take the Mazda to work rather than the 911.

BTW, again, I'm just posting on a boring Friday night.