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Starting in the spring, my faithful Toyota Avalon has been nothing but trouble.

In March, my check engine light came on. I took the car to my mechanic, and it turned out that one of the O2 sensors in my fuel injection system had died. There are four of those in my car, my mechanic told me. $250 or thereabouts to replace.

I took the car back to the mechanic just before the Michigan trip, fearful of brake problems, only to learn that the brakes (recently replaced though I no longer recall when) were fine and the problem was a small part--I forget where. Cost: $36.

As I drove across Pennsylvania to Michigan, my check engine light came on again, though the car appeared to be running okay. Found a good mechanic through the recommendations of friends, and learned that...yes, another one of the O2 sensors had gone bad. $264 (though the mechanic didn't charge me for the diagnostic test, a $60 value!)

The week *after* I got back from Michigan, I was driving to our favorite game store, The Games Keep, LLC, when my left rear tire suddenly started going tha-chunk--on a smooth patch of road. You guessed it--the tire was pancake flat. Fortunately, there was a Pep Boys within AAA free-towing distance, and they were still open. Two hours later and $100 poorer, I was back to gaming.

And this past Friday night, as I ran to the Wawa convenience store located near Games Keep to grab a sandwich for dinner, my car suddenly refused to start! The only warning had been that my dashboard clock had lost its memory a few times the week before. This time, the AAA guy showed up in minutes, diagnosed a bad battery (it did look decrepit, with white gunk crusted around the terminals) and sold me a new one for $110.

Oh, and I will need to take the car for the state-required annual inspection by the end of September. I wonder what my mechanic will find then--and after. :-(

Though this is undoubtedly much better than being hit with a giant repair bill all at once, it still sucks.