Ok, so here's the situation. I've got a 2000 Kia Sephia with a little over 130,000 miles. I drive it 25-30 miles a day to and from work (and for lunch or appointments) and that's about it. That's all I want this car for, 6000-7000 miles per year. It's probably worth $1500-ish give or take a few hundred, maybe a little less.
I took it in for a cheap oil change and they came back with a whole list of stuff that they think could be fixed. Some of the stuff they said was optional or not urgent, other stuff sounded like they thought I should fix it soon, but nothing was so bad that they had any problems letting me take the car home.
My questions are:
How can I maximize miles / dollar with this car?
Anything in this list sound super essential or super unnecessary?
Item (Reason) -
Cost [Labor/Parts]- Replace both outer CV boots (left is torn, right is cracked) - $186 each [$152/$34] (I think, maybe $186 for both)
- Replace front brakes (right front pad cracked through) - $190 [$130/$60]
- Replace valve cover gasket (small oil leak) - $150 [$65/$85]
- Replace oil pan gasket (small oil leak) - $225 [$195/$30]
- Replace battery (214/550 CCA rating) - $120 [$20/$100]
- Replace tires (all tires cupped) - $345 [$80/$265]
- Wheel alignment - $70
- Replace front and rear struts (causing tire cupping?) - $1200 [$445/$755]
I don't mind fixing things that should be fixed and will extend the life of the car, and I want to fix things that are dangerous, but I don't mind if the car doesn't work perfectly. So... any thoughts?