Now more than ever, I say "Thank God I have my Metro"
It turns out, that they are increasing in value as a result. So, I managed to find someone who is willing to sell me another engine for $200.00 as a secondary back up. So, I'll rebuild it and my old transmission and lock them away safely in the shed. As of now, I have 12,000 on my recent rebuild and it's still going good. I recently pulled the plugs and regapped them and that made it run smoother. The gaps do tend to wear open, so I guess that is something to check about every 6 months.:smokin:

Since I bought this jem over 5 years ago I did virtually nothing to it, other than regular oil/oil filter & air filter changes and paying my mechanic to diagnose an elec. issue (worn wire shorting to ground).

But, with fuel costing more, I decided it was worthwhile to have replaced:
- the cap, rotor, & wires
- timing belt
- acc. belt
- fuel filter

...and to have the EGR vacuum checked, after reading about burnt valves here.
It turns out that at 5,300 ft., the EGR is hardly used and tested fine.

It'll need front brakes in a year, and perhaps a pair of rear shocks, but otherwise she's fine for a 12 year-old vehicle. Running much better now...