Marty, I like your call. When you mentioned the repair cost in the first post it was far less than a car payment. The one thing that finally made me change my mind a ton of years ago was this: how much anxiety am I allowed to inflict on my wife due to an iffy car? It came to the point that she was not comfortable driving because any problem is big when you are not home. I am guessing that point hasn't come yet for you; and I hope it doesn't for a long time.

2 cents