Toyota Repair: More Repairs, esther newton, precious vehicle

Question
Dear Ted,

We are the only owner of this precious vehicle . . . like a member of the family! However,  the occasions for  replacing her parts has been draining us quite a bit . . . since we are not one who enjoy working on our cars!

At the moment our mechanic tells us we need to replace the L and R steering arms, also replacing the bushing[? the rubber covering for the joints] for the front wheels, which would cost us another $450 or so. We have literally paid out a few thousands these last little while. The money spent would have made a decent downpayment for another new car!

We would appreciate any suggestion from you as to what is the best thing to do right now.

Parts replaced recently includes:

Computer board
Ignition Control
Distributer
Radiator
Starter motor
Ignition key Assembly
Steering rack       and
Compressor

If it is indeed time to put a stop to repairs, what is your suggestion to get the best 'deal' to sell it for parts? [I feel awful even just typing these words!!]

Thank you for your willingness to help us.

Esther Newton.

Answer
Since you left out some important details like what year and model it is and how many miles on the odometer, I really can't be of much help other than there comes a time when you should stop pouring money into a car just because it feels like a member of the family and get rid of it, trade it in or sell it, yes you will have a car payment, but from the standpoint of the reliability and almost no repairs exept for maintenance, a new car may be the most logical solution for you.