Agreed. Linda Carter looks way hotter in her costume than Adam West does in his.

$600 - Two ball joints, an arm, and a broken bolt - DONE!
$800 - Clutch - "Needs" to be done
$1000 - Heater Core - "Needs" to be done

At what point do I just buy a new Jeep?

Well, if by "new" you mean one of the good ones from a long time ago like you have now...then there's always the possibility that what you buy is going to need those same repairs or more. The devil you know might be better if that's the case.

Perceptive as always.

By "new" I do mean "the last year they made 'real' Cherokees with the lowest miles I can find in my price range".

Cars suck.

Gas.

Duh. We all knew that.

Well played. I doff my cap at ye, sir.

I considered going for some sort of witty followup on that, but I'm being totally lazy at the moment.

But I LIKE derailing pompous threads where people confuse the Realms with a public place!

Oh well.

Yes, I agree with you there. But I've been experiencing some hair-trigger modding, and didn't need any further attention.

I'm glad you finally decided to jump in here:

What the hell is costing you 3K on your car and, at that price, why don't you just buy something new(er)?

Power steering arms, front and back suspension.

So, funny story. We don't want to buy something new until we have a garage. We won't have a garage until we buy a new house. We won't buy a new house until we can afford a downpayment. We can't afford a downpayment until we kill off my wife's student loans.

So Sunday we killed off a third of the student loans. And Monday my truck crapped the bed. So I'm willing to pay for one more repair and then drive it for 5 more years before shooting it in the head.

Hey Haven...so you want a 2001 Cherokee? It seems you could get one for less than $4k.

Now I'm shopping for one.

http://www.edmunds.com/jeep/cherokee/

I'm totally familiar with these kinds of vicious circles and you have my sympathy.

What make/model are we talking about here?

Who replace 'mute with a Doombot that is intelligent, insightful, helpful, and understanding?

2006 Dakota.

I blame myself, too, as I always wanted a truck.

Is it ok the rest of us just blame you for things as well? Will save me a lot of trouble to have a scapegoat on call.