A good auto mechanic is as indispensable as your own family doctor and veterinarian. While you may be able to diagnose what's wrong with an ailing car, it's difficult to pare it down to less than 5 or 6 possibilities. And, even if you do hit the nail on the head, repairing it is next to impossible.
I am very fortunate to have found a tremendous mechanic who not only knows exactly what he's doing, but charges extremely fair prices. He even tries not to do anything extra unless it is absolutely necessary. He and I have even become close personal friends after all the years of fixing my ancient fleet of vehicles. I like to call him "Uncle Gary," amongst other nicknames we have for each other that are unprintable here.
The cheapest way to deal with auto maladies is always to fix them, rather than buying, God forbid, a new car. We all know that when you drive a brand new car off the lot, it immediately loses 20% of its value. Depreciation is a killer in the auto industry. So, I have found it best to cobble together my 4 old vehicles the best I can. I have Gary perform routine maintenance on them without fail. My cars always have fresh oil, a new filter, clean battery posts, and the right levels of all fluids.
Let me tell what I mean by "ancient vehicles": our newest is the 1996 Toyota Camry, followed by the 1995 Ford Windstar Van, then it's the 1977 long-bed Toyota pickup, followed by my favorite, the completely stock 1950 Ford 2- door sedan with the Flathead V8 and under 50,000 original miles. We were born the same year. And, I grew up with a carbon copy of it as a kid.
I have paid "Gary the Mechanic" a small fortune over the many years we've been doing business together, but it can't come close to what a new car costs.
If you saw my cars, you would be shocked at how well they run. Beauty is only skin deep, you know.
For what it's worth, a cardinal rule I have for all my vehicles is never ever wash them. We don't have a garage, and I live in the very dusty high country of Northern Arizona, so what's the use? Don't get me wrong, if I had a garage, I'd wash 'em up real good, and maybe even throw on a decent wax job like I always used to do. I'm probably an idiot for being so unconcerned about the appearance of my fleet, but I am a stickler for all things under the hood and drive train. Oh, and I get my tires checked often as a matter of safety and increased fuel efficiency.
One last interesting tidbit about Gary. He is retired now. His shop is rented to a new up-and-coming young buck. But, he comes to my house, leaves his Saab if we want to use it, and drives our cars back to his house 18 miles away to perform his vehicular magic. Gary does house calls! Does it get any better than that?