NORMAL - Russell Johnson of Normal has 100,870 miles on his 2005 Chrysler but wants to keep the family car awhile longer yet. "If we can get another 100,000 miles on it I will be very happy," said Johnson, who put four new tires on in early March.

"With the economy the way it is, I figure I might as well care for the car I have," said Johnson, a retail store manager.

In the midst of the worst automotive sales climate in more than a quarter-century, Johnson is far from alone. But while some folks are opting to repair rather than replace, others are doing only the bare essentials.

Brian Trower, general manager of Clay Dooley Tire & Auto in Bloomington said his business has increased and repairing a car instead of buying new is logical, especially during a recession.

"You look at a $300 to $600 repair bill and that could be one car payment a month for several years," Trower said. "I get the impression that people are deciding to keep cars longer."

However, whether those keeping their cars are paying more to repair them depends on who you talk to.

Eric Brown, who operates Downs Automotive, said consumers are hanging onto their money, period.

"They are just getting essential repairs and no more," Brown said.

Rick Erickson of Erickson's Auto Service in Bloomington said that business is down about 8 percent because of the economy. He said customers are cutting back by doing needed repairs piece-meal.

However, Erickson said this can backfire if the customer waits too long and has to replace more parts.

Business is also down some at Bussy's Automotive in Bloomington as well.

"I've had people say that your business should be up because people aren't buying new cars, but the truth is they are not fixing too much either," said owner "Bussy" Davis.

Davis said repairing a decent used car can be very economical.

"Even if you have a $3,000 car and put $1,500 in repairs to it, you might be able to drive it for another year or two," he said.

Trower calls this "sticking with old Betty," and adds that consumers can get more value out of their cars if they keep them longer.

However, he said, cars are "more than transportation to most people," who tend to replace them sooner rather than later.