Should I fix this one or buy a brand new one?

Tim GULLA LEDGER STAFF WRITER

I really should be grateful in many respects.

My car has been serving me well. Knock on wood, it hasn't broken down on the highway. And it just allowed me to safely complete a 2,000-mile round-trip vacation at a very respectful average of about 26 mpg. Toyota Prius owners may laugh at my fuel efficiency but I don't think it's too bad for an 11-yearold car with 250 horses under the hood and enough leg room to really stretch out. Plus the trunk will hold four golf bags, which is a prerequisite for any vehicle I'll drive.

Since I've generally taken good care of the exterior, few people believe how old it is when they see it since a few coats of wax, much like makeup, have a way of masking age.

Yet I find myself in a personal finance quandary at the moment, wondering whether I've reached or about to enter a time of diminishing returns.

A brake job just cost me about $275 last week.

I know the car's struts and shocks are getting a little long in the tooth. I haven't priced them yet but I'm counting on at least $250 out of pocket.

My car's air conditioning was fighting a losing battle against almost triple-digit temperatures earlier this week, too, and it occasionally squeals for no apparent reason. That's beginning to make me think some air conditioning service could be in store in the near future and I shudder at the thought of the repair bill on that line item.

Inside the car, one power window no longer operates no matter how many times I apply a foot wrench to the door.

And little bits of plastic, like door handles and covers over the seatbelt hinges, are starting to crack and disintegrate from everyday use. I figure they represent at least $200 worth of items from the dealership if replaced with new units, or about $40 at the scrap yard if suitable replacements can be scrounged.

Then there's the question of my tires.

While most of the things wrong with my car represent common, everyday expenses that come with car ownership and aging vehicles, I've since come to believe that car manufacturers must be in cahoots with tire companies.

While I'm sure they do give the car better grip and performance, there's really no reason for a passenger car like mine to come with tires better suited for a Corvette or Porsche. The S.C. Highway Patrol, I know, will never let me find out if the tires really are speed rated for 170 mph.

Recent price quotes for replacements started at about $500 and only climbed skyward from there. What makes matters worse is that the next trip to the tire store for new rubber will represent the fourth set of tires for the car.

So here I am, wondering if it's worth sinking a grand or more into my car with a sinking feeling that something mechanically worse, and therefore more costly, will happen once all the "little" work is completed.

About the only good thing about my situation is that I'm sure I have a lot of company.

Similar personal finance quandaries rear their head every day in almost every household, I'm sure, and they don't just have to be about cars.

Is it better to fix a washer or dryer or just head down to the local appliance store for a new one?

Can I get another few years out of my furnace with some replacement parts that'll cost a few hundred bucks or is it better to bite the bullet, with a bill for a few thousand, and buy a new unit now?

Then you have to factor in additional equations, which only add to the complexity of the decision-making process. A new washer or dryer is likely much more energy efficient than an old model, but will I really see a difference in my Board of Public Works bill?

I wish I had simple solutions, much like the balance tests used for computer technology.

With computers, for instance, some experts say you're better off buying a new one today than trying to upgrade a model that's five or six years old. Today's technology is much better, you see, and generally less costly than upgrading an old model with new parts.

If only that was feasible with cars.

Tires are just as round today as they were 10 years ago. But they are more expensive.

Still a single computer purchase is a whole lot smaller of a pill to swallow than the horse pill of a $350 a month car payment for the next five years.

Maybe I can get by with the cracked and disintegrating door handles after all.