Good point, Cappy. Years ago I had a 1977 Dodge Colt, which needed, we thought, some minor front end part. However, due to age and corrosion we (this car lacked corrosion protection)nearly had to rebuild the front end and it cost $750 then (1990) to do the work, since many more parts needed replacing.
If OP can keep the cost down to $700 or so and the rest of the car is good, she can safely get a few more years out of it.