What is the rule of thumb for replacing a car?

The reason why this keeps happening is because you aren't fixing it yourself. $1K is a ripoff for a catalytic converter. Learn to fix it yourself and these strange "issues" will go away. Want proof?

Ask Chevy Blazer owners what they think of their car and if the work on it themselves. There are two camps:

I hate it and it's shop maintained

I love it and I maintain it <- Where I reside.

A car stays on the road as long as you maintain it. Preventive maintenance, fixing what's broken and a good wash and wax twice a month will keep it on the road pretty much forever.

$800 for a wheel bearing??? That's a major ripoff unless you had to have the spindle replaced. NAPA retail for your wheel bearing is about $50 per wheel.

My 1993 Chevy PU has over 220k miles - never had a catalytic converter replaced. Never had to have one replace on ANY car I've owned in my 43 years of driving. I had one shop tell me I had a bad catalytic converter and EGR valve. Two parts don't normally fail at the same time. I got a second opinion - found a disconnected vacuum line. Catalytic converter for your car runs between $150 and $750 depending upon your state of registration and manufacturer of the converter. So, $1,000 for a catalytic converter is very high if they used a cheap-o converter.

MAF is about $330.

Most of the other items (except windshield) are minor normal wear and tear repairs and they occur on all cars starting at about 60k miles. I'm surprised the rubber hoses have lasted 1/2 as long as they have.

Cars are an assemblage of 1,000s of parts. Eventually, these parts start wearing out. And they seem to wear out at about the same time. You have to evaluate your situation. Can you afford to have your car breakdown more frequently? How important is dependability? Do you have a 2nd form of transportation? Is the cost of repairs cheaper than the monthly payments on a replacement car? Most businesses replace cars every 5-7 years. Cost of mintenance exceeds the value of the car - nothing left to write off for taxes.

Any and ALL vehicles have required maintenance that needs to be done at certain intervals---belts--hoses--filters--fluids,--brakes-- shocks--struts--exhaust system--lights--etc etc etc-- if you don't do it, and they all start to go bad at once--the costs are VERY high. All the stuff you mentioned is normal troubles and should have been done according to the manufacturer owners manual that comes with the car. 98 miles is a lot to drive in a crummy car--its dangerous and if it breaks down--you probably will have to pay for the tow truck. So if you decide to buy a new or just a newer car--start off doing the recommended maintenance and pay attention to the scheduled things that you must do. ANY car or truck needs this kind of care. Your car can still be repaired and probably need even more because you did not maintain it--if you did properly maintain it--it could live for a long time. BUT IT STILL COSTS MONEY TO MAINTAIN A CAR OF ANY AGE OR MILEAGE, We all have to do this stuff. Good luck.

i'm all about keeping a car 'til it falls apart... and i think yours is about to fall apart!

it's 8 years old and has lasted about 200k miles, thats awesome.

i would definitely stay with a nissan or honda.

I think it's time to trade her in.