[jblackburn]

I must be lucky, I have never spent more than a months car payment for ANY car repair, EVER. Anytime I start having to pay for car repairs is time for me to start considering a different car.

Clearly you've never owned anything European.

Bad alternator? $400 part, next to impossible to change. Bad emissions air pump? See above. Things that don't make sense to get rid of a car over, but are really annoying when they go bad.