Today's cars are long lived vehicles. With only 45K on the clock, you've got 150,000 miles of dependable driving to look forward to. You say you have drivetrain warranty til 70K? Drive train's the spendy part of the vehicle anyway, so save the $$$ and forget the extended deal, waste of money. For $700-and-some, you can pay for quite a few out-of-pocket repairs. When you were looking to us for advice on cars, earlier, you mentioned that you have a friendly mechanic that your family uses. Go to him for your repairs as much as possible. Such things as idler pulleys, belts, stuff like that are expensive in and of themselves, but, he's not likely to screw you over. They're not rocket science to work on, so his labor rate's gonna be less than at a dealershyster. DO drive the car on those 600-mile round trips. It will be GOOD for your car to get out on the open road and stretch her legs. Regular oil changes, tire rotations, etc. go a long way to keeping your baby happy and rarin' to go wherever you wanna go. Your dad's worried about tires??? That's so 1940's! Today's tires, provided they have good tread, kept at proper inflation, and rotated on a regular basis, will go a long ways. That $160 he's worried about won't be happenin' for a loooonnnnng time! Change oil at about 3K miles, rotate tires about 5K, especially in mostly city driving, have your mechanic look 'er over on a regular basis and you're baby's gonna do you well!