I think a lot of people get so used to having a car payment, they just view it as a never-ending monthly bill, just like a cell phone. (You can never "pay off" a cell phone bill. If you want cell service, there will ALWAYS be a monthly charge.) Just like a phone bill, they think, "If you want a car, you have to ALWAYS make your monthly car payment."
As far as servicing my cars go, I do EVERYTHING myself. Oil changes, radiators, air conditioning, ball joints, brakes, spark plugs, starters, I've done it all. I've had way too many bad experiences with shops not fixing things correctly or using the wrong parts. If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself. I've saved myself thousands of dollars, too. Invest in some tools (that's right, they ARE an investment that will pay you back every time you use them), do some Googling, and learn to fix things yourself. You'll learn valuable lifelong skills and save tons of money.