Car trouble

my 2000 chev malibu (175,000 mi) broke down–hesitated and then just died. felt like no gas getting in or dirt in fuel. started it up after 10 min., and moved about a mile and it died again. Had about 1/8 to 1/4 tank. Still waiting for mechanic because it happened day before new yrs.

Thanks for the report.

Glad you provided year, make and mileage. Now how about plugs and filters please.

When was the last time the fuel filter was replaced?

The first thing I would try is putting more gas in the tank and see what happens. The sending units in these cars are notorious for becoming inaccurate over time, so anyone who is not vigilant about keeping track of gas mileage is at risk for running out of gas by trusting the accuracy of the fuel gauge. Many times these cars will read 1/8 to 1/4 tank when in fact they are running on fumes. If more gas gets you going, you either need to always keep track of your mileage (hint: reset the trip odometer with each fill-up) or spring for a new sending unit.

The ignition module is also a suspect and is easily diagnosed when in failure mode.