My car had been making a terrible racket when I shifted into first and second gears so I finally took it in for a mechanic to survey the damage. Much to my chagrin, the clutch needed to be replaced and the flywheel resurfaced. The total cost for this operation was somewhere in the neighborhood of $1000…and all this only a month after I got two new front tires and a new front-right axle (which incidentally looked “way stretched out” according to the clutch mechanic). This got me to thinking…at what point do I cut my losses and buy a new car? The Integra runs well (now) and I don’t foresee a need for any major repairs in the near future. And if I decide to quit my job and travel the world in a year, I shouldn’t even worry about a new car. On the other hand, mi coche has 176,000 miles and even for an Acura/Honda that’s a lot. In any case, I hope I’ve bought some freedom from car troubles for a while.