Are you driving a used car and hoping it will be able to keep puttering along for at least one more year? You are not alone.

10 Car Buying Mistakes | Trust Yourself For Auto Care

R. L. Polk & Co. recently announced a new study that found the average median age for passenger cars on the road is up to 9.2 years, tying a record that was set last year.

So with cars getting older and older, it is getting more and more important to recognize problems with your car early on before it is too late.

Does that pinging noise coming from your engine mean it is on its last leg, or will a simple, cheap maintenance stop put you back on the road in no time flat?

Parts Store Sends You Christmas Cards

Mark Larsen, a franchise training manager with Car-X Auto Service, said there is one sure sign that it may time to junk or sell a used car.

"If the parts store starts sending you Christmas cards, you know you've spent too much money there," said Larsen. "Also, when they know you by your first name and they know the names of your children."

Spending too much too frequently on repairs is a big reason to put your old used car out to pasture.

"We have customers who come in at various times to our stores and say they have a '94 Buick Century. It's in pretty good shape, but before they know it they need $1,500 in new brakes and an oil change and some other things, and they say, 'You know, it just isn't worth it,'" said Larsen.

Knowing when you are better off getting rid of your car for another one is a fine line. Getting $2,000 worth of repairs on a car that is only worth $5,000 may or may not be worth it, depending on how good of shape overall the car is in and if you anticipate any other problems in the near future.

But if you walk into the parts store and realize you know all five of the employees by their first name, maybe it is time to take a drive down to the local new or used auto lot.

Beware Of Oil Guzzlers

If a car is starting to use up a lot of oil, but you see no signs of an oil leak on your driveway or garage floor, it could be a sign the car is on its last leg.

Larsen said using a quart a month is not uncommon, but if the engine is taking close to a quart a week there is a problem.

"The oil is just burning it up because the engine is tired and it's not tight anymore," said Larsen. "It could be the rings or the valve seals could be so hard that they just can't hold the oil anymore. It tends to be expensive (to fix)."

That Pinging Noise Could Be Ticking Clock

A weird noise coming from your engine could mean all sorts of things, but if it is coming from the inside of the engine block, it is probably not good. Fixing something inside the engine block requires opening it up, which is always going to be expensive.

"If you have an internal engine noise that is somewhere along the lines of a crank or piston, or an internal engine noise that is something that isn't going away and is going to get worse, or a rod knock, or a valve that's got a popping noise to it -- any of those things is an internal engine problem, and that really pushes the engine to the point that it needs to be replaced," said Larsen.

Transmission Problems Are Kiss Of Death

If you are driving a used car with that has a lot of miles on it, a bad transmission may mean it is time to say goodbye. Fixing a bad transmission is expensive because it involves opening the transmission up and rebuilding it.

If your car is frequently slipping when it shifts gears, it probably means the transmission is about to go.

"Even the cheapest option you would have is to take the entire transmission out and replace it with a rebuilt unit," said Larsen. "In a ballpark, a typical transmission is in the $2,500 to $3,000 range."

All Problems Not Big Problems

Your used car may have failed you on a road trip and left you stranded on the side of the road, but this does not mean for sure that it is time to take it down to the junk yard.

Electrical, battery and overheating problems frequently can be taken care of with relatively cheap and easy repairs and put you back on the road.

If you are driving down the road and you notice that your lights are going dim and the radio starts to fade before the car stalls, don't panic. While it may require a tow truck, there's a good chance the problem is that your battery, alternator or something else related to the electrical system has failed. These problems will usually not put a huge dent in your checkbook.

If your car overheats, it is usually something related to the engine cooling system. It could be something as simple as a leaky hose. But just be sure to resist the urge to drive your overheating car, or it could be the last trip you ever take in it.

"You'll end up locking up the engine or you'll end up really, really hurting the engine," said Larsen. "You could end up breaking or blowing up something else that you wouldn't have if you had fixed it."

Sometimes your car might die on the road and sound like it is out of gas when you try to start it even though it isn't. This could mean that the fuel pump has gone out. Depending on what kind of car your drive, it can be very cheap or very expensive because some fuel pumps come as part of a larger unit.

"A fuel pump in and of itself can be cheap. A pump can be expensive because a lot of times a fuel pump can be a part of a whole lot of different things like the fuel pump module," said Larsen. "It might be 600 or 700 bucks, depending on the application."

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