Older high millage cars just will naturally require more. Using paid service may be somewhere near the depreciation cost on new buggies. This may be one major reason older cars have fallen out of favour generally.

Doing your own work can with the right car leave you with money in your pocket. I just sit back and watch my son in law get fleeced on his newer cars that have acquired substantial milage.

Right now he has a suspected bad valve in his Honda. So he is talking a used engine. I could not talk him into pullling the head himself and getting the valves done if I tried. So I do not bother. I have no doubt it will cost him whatever he decides two thousand or more. Probably a lot more.