[AUTO] It's so hard to say goodbye...

I've had my green, 1997 Pontiac Gran Prix for almost 6 years, the odometer is reading 173674.5, the more I drive the higher the number gets! The daily commute is from the southeast side of town (225-Beltway 8) to the north west side of town (290-Beltway 8), five days a week, sometimes six if too much time is spent on Clutch BBS. 35-40 miles I believe, I don't catch either rush hour so I don't think the strain on the motor is that bad.

A couple of years ago (around the 135,000 mile land mark) it gave me hell, in and out of mechanic shops with every kind of problem you could think of, but lately, outside of regular maintenance it's been fine. That can’t be the norm.

It doesn't look as new as it used to, it might have a personalized funky smell to it, and the AC doesn't want to make it through another hot summer, but I still feel good about it. My question is, should I trade it in now and be grateful that it's lasted me this long or should I keep it and hope that I got the one domestic engine/transmission that lasts forever? Want to keep it, but it is the smart thing to do? In the end, will it cost more to maintain than it will to buy a new car?