Get the car checked out.

Deciding that the funny noise coming from the engine was serious, Claire drove the car to the local garage to get it checked out. When she arrived she was greeted by a rugged looking guy called Dave, "Hi, what seems to be the problem?" he asked, Claire noticed that Dave appeared to be spending more time checking her out than the car. "Well it's been making a funny noise for a while now and I thought I'd better bring it to an expert", in her experience it was always worth trying a mild bit of flattery in the hope of receiving better service.

Dave popped the hood and started the engine to hear it himself. After listening to the car for a few moments he said "Well I reckon I know what the problem is, looks like the exhaust manifold is cracked. Good job you brought it in really, I can order in the parts, should have them by tomorrow and it can be ready tomorrow night, it'll cost you about $220".

'I don't have that kind of money' thought Claire, either she would need to sell some of her stuff and pull another shift at the bar, or she could ignore it and run the risk of it breaking down on the way to L.A. Given the way he was looking at her earlier though, maybe there's a third option available.