I just recently took my car into the shop. It is a high mileage (140k miles) Toyota Corolla. I took it in because it was getting really loud, both in the engine

I just recently took my car into the shop. It is a high mileage (140k miles) Toyota Corolla. I took it in because it was getting really loud, both in the engine when stopped and a lot of road noise. I live in the NYC area, and expected to pay a LOT of money for that, but surprisingly, it was only a $1200 visit. Here is everything he did: A/C Tune Up Front Brakes (Rotors and Pads) Back Brakes (Drums) Rear Hub Assemblies on both sides High Mileage Synthetic Oil Intake and Cabin Filters And full fluid flush That took care of 90% of my issues, but he didn't have time to replace my water pump before I had to leave for a road trip. So when the water pump's bearings finally exploded going down I-81 in West Virginia, I stopped at a local repair shop and $350 later I had a water pump installed and I moseyed on down the road. I have felt I paid too much before, but it was by big chains, never local shops. And I recognized that the big shop wouldn't need to order parts for me, they would have them in stock, so it is more convenient.