Are you keeping your car together with duct tape? Or turning up the radio to drown out a sound that you know will be expensive to fix? Some drivers are ignoring problems or patching up their old rides because they can't afford a new car.
The economy may be in bad shape, but the Lusty Wrench in Cleveland Heights just had their best month in 32 years.
Owner Sam Bell says he's extremely busy because his clients need to make their cars last - buying new isn't an option for some of them.
"Some people are saying, 'Prioritize for me. What do I have to do to get through to next month?'" says Bell.
Jim Nelson got resourceful when his '93 Volvo needed repairs. He went to the salvage yard and brought his own part to the shop.
"Found some used parts that were not rusted, brought them in here because it was an $860 part I got for $60 at the junk yard," said Nelson.
Bell offers one tip - even if your bank account is busted, don't ignore a check engine light. "If it's come that way through lack of maintenance, sometimes the repairs can be quite expensive."
The mechanics we spoke with said you can put off an oil change for a couple thousand miles longer than normal, but you can't get away with doing nothing forever.
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