Can't Live With Them...Can't Live Without Them

I'm talking about cars. My car always seems to be one of my biggest headaches. I know part of the problem is I am driving an older car that is bound to have problems, but it seems like we have all been through it. The estimate for your car repairs is... Fill in your amount.
Today I just wanted to get my wheels aligned, but I knew there was something not right because my car has been making a funny noise when I turn. Well after waiting half an hour they told me they couldn't align my wheels because of a number of problems. Their estimate for repairs was higher than what I had budgeted for a wheel alignment, so back to the budgeting drawing board to get this figured out.
It amazes me to think how much I rely on my car. My life just wouldn't work without my car. I feel like I should better understand how this big machine that I rely on works. Unfortunately I have a great deal of understanding in a great deal of areas, but in mechanics my understanding seems to be lacking.
I love my old Explorer and it has done well for me, so I'm not complaining. Just thinking about the way our society relies so heavily on automobiles. Maybe someday when I have more time (in other words, in about 15 years) I will take a class at a community college or something. It just feels like I should know more about my car than I do. For now I'm thankful that I can head into my local Les Schwab Tires.