Mitsubishi Repair: idle control motor, valve cover gasket, mitsubishi dealership

Question
I have had a lot of repairs to my 2000 mitsubishi ganlant es 4cyl with over 240,000 miles,after having the timing done twice a new water pump valve cover gasket camp seal crank seal freeze plug pcv the car idles high when in drive after turning the air off and the temperature gauge goes past the middle line,this is after almos $1300.00,I am a single mother with two small boys need to know if i should trade in or take to mitsubishi dealership

Answer
Rochelle,
With already $1300 invested in a car that has nearly a quarter of a million miles on it, spending any more would potentially be more money than the car is worth.  If the temp gauge stays out of the red area, but still get close, this could mean a blockage in the cooling system or possibly a warped head gasket.  Replacing that would be several hundred dollars.  Or this could mean an inefficient radiator. Taking the car to the dealership usually is your best bet that they would find and correct the problem on the first try, but most charge about $100/hr for labor costs, and inflated prices on parts.  So you may want to check the used car lots and consider a trade-in option.
Good luck!