Faulty Relay

A faulty relay in the car today results in the car having difficulty starting when hot. No problem starting in the morning, but stop for a while for refueling say, then to start again I would need to crank the starter several times. According to my trusty mechanic, it's the main relay & it’s located below the steering wheel, above the pedals (now I know). Replaced that with a new one and the engine now starts without problem, hot or cold and parted with RM120.00. The car is already 11 years old now and I have come to expect maintenance problems to crept up every now and then. Some maintenance done in recent times: clutch pump, brake pistons and pads, drive shaft(left), belts and 4 new tyres. Time to shop for a new car? Been considering that for some months now, but looking at prices of new cars, and the price of my 11 year-old car that they are willing to take, I'd say just hold on for the time being, let me do some maths first, and with the fuel prices rising, the maths become even more difficult now. They say should drive a car until it is dead.