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Message: [QUOTE="BParkDog, post: 3790404, member: 10930"] I used to change plugs on VW beetles - horizontally opposed 4 - spark plug access required a wobble, extension, and a feel to avoid cross threading. A pain. But 3 hours by the book for a Suub? Ouch. I do most car work myself, but I run a freaking small fleet for the kids, so sometimes I farm the work out to a local mechanic. I definitely agree with spending time finding an independent mechanic. I'm not in an expensive area, like all of CT, so I can get a guy to work on my car for 70 an hour, and I bring my own parts, so no upcharge, and the guy is friend for whom I have done work. He's at a dealership, BTW, just not the dealership for my brands of vehicle. Regarding brakes, they are cheap, and super easy to replace. Rotors have degraded in lifespan over my 35 years of working on cars, however, so I have had to replace some at 40k miles. I use rock auto, exclusively, unless they don't have the part. For the OP's vehicle, Centrix (I prefer this brand) rotors would be about 120, pads about 30. Figure 170 total with shipping. Not terrible at all for a four wheel set of brakes. Any decent mechanic could do all 4 wheels in less than an hour, unless there is something very odd about your car. Get a new car or swap it out? Well, that's beyond just a financial decision at my age. I finally spent a good chunk of money on a new car and got one with all the bells and whistles (on the advice of some here, lol) and . . . .there's just no going back. I can't see spending 70-100k on any car, but I can see spending 50k on a top of the line Hyundai or Toyota or Kia. I have really, really enjoyed my new car (which is now over a year old) - more than I ever thought I would. I have done a lot of driving in my life, and I have always driven smaller, cheaper vehicles that are cheap to drive/insure/fix. So for me, it's not just a money issue. Buying a new car is always a terrible financial decision. The best value is in the 1 or 2 year old vehicles with 20-50k miles on them. That said, I'll driving my current car for another year and then I'll probably get a new one. Shame on me. [/QUOTE]

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