I agee. do not spend any money trying to prolong the useful life of the car. regular servicing and timely repair of "ware out" parts (bakes, tires, transmission fluid, front end alignment, etc) are necessary. with regular maintinence the car should go near 200,000 miles. If you spend a lot of money for the engine rebuild or transmission replacement, and the car is totaled out by an accident the money is not recoverable. haveing the transmission fluid flushed (not just drain 3 quarts and refill) may be a good investment. keep the car clean inside and out. this will make you feel better and preserve some to the trade-in value later.