Seriously, I don't know if other people experience this, but it seems to be a trend for my family. Last Spring our Toyota relieved us of $2100. We have put new tires on each of our vehicles for three years running (OK three vehicles, one vehicle per year). We know the van needs some transmission work done, but that will have to wait until we recover from this gouge. I'm thinking of having at least one of the kids take auto mechanics in high school so we can take care of more of the maintenance ourselves. Granted, with a Chilton Guide for the vehicles, we can do more than just change the oil, but it would still be nice to be able to do more. That, or someone needs to write a book along the lines of Automotive Repair for the Mechanically Inept. Then perhaps I could do some of the maintenance.
Several people in my family are astounded that I "just don't get it" when it comes to maintenance on a car. After all, I spent 6 years as an aircraft mechanic. They don't realize that the two are like comparing apples and linoleum. For one thing, I primarily worked on electrical systems that worked in tandem with the mechanical systems (known as avionics). For another thing, there is not a jet or turbo prop engine under the hood of my car. The only similarity is that they both burn fossil fuels.
Ah, well, until the day someone in the family is a mechanic, we will continue to support our local economy and frequent "Mom & Pop Shops" with our automotive woes.