Q. I'm an aged baby boomer, like many others. How can I keep my driving abilities sharp? --E.S., Chicago

A. I know a 76-year-old man who races fast classic cars -- and wins. Do strength and flexibility exercises, including just squeezing a tennis ball. Have your car fit like a well-tailored suit by using its adjustable features, such as its seat, steering wheel and interior and outside mirrors. If your auto still presents difficulties, take it to a shop that handles car modifications and have it customized for more safety and comfort; for instance, get an oversized mirror that fits over the standard rearview mirror to increase your vision field. Some new options include high-intensity headlights that swivel to stay pointed at curves in the road, GPS navigation systems, rearview cameras and sensors to help prevent your car from hitting unseen objects when, say, parking -- and adaptive cruise control that uses radar to sense the distance from other vehicles and slows your auto if it's getting too close to them.

Q. Gasoline looks as if it will continue to be quite expensive. Any tips to stretch mileage? --C.B., Elmwood Park

A. Keep tires properly inflated because otherwise it's like driving with the parking brake on and can cost several mpg. Gas caps that are loose, damaged or missing cause gas to just vaporize -- along with your fuel money. A clogged air filter chokes off air and creates a "rich" air/fuel mixture that causes too much gas to be burned. Fixing a faulty oxygen sensor can improve mileage by as much as 40 percent. Finally, drive very smoothly, braking as little as possible.

Q. I'd love a Porsche 911 but would like to get one with an automatic transmission because I'm rusty on driving stick shift, and my wife doesn't know how to use a manual trans- mission. How big a mistake would an automatic be for that Porsche? Would you buy a used one? How old would it be? How would you check it out? --J.J., Chicago

A. The 911 is a pure sports car that's a lot more fun with a manual transmission. Everyone I know (including my brother-in-law) who bought a 911 with an automatic so his wife could drive it ended up soon selling the car because most of their wives weren't interested in driving the car to begin with. But people I know who bought a stick-shift 911 love it. New 911s are expensive, so if you need to buy a used one, protect yourself by getting a low-mileage, late-model factory-certified model. While strong, the 911 is a car that invites being driven hard, and some thus suffer abuse that can lead to costly repairs.

Q. For the past few years, I've been taking my 2003 Pontiac Aztek with 70,000 miles on it to the same service facility in the Prospect Heights area. I've been satisfied with the way it's handled oil changes and tire rotations, but I now have a problem with "bigger ticket" items. That is, I know the Aztek needs front brakes and four new tires. But the facility says just about everything under the hood also needs to be fixed. So instead of spending $500 to $700, it's suggesting repairs that would cost $1,500 to $1,700. I ain't got that kind of dough. Your thoughts? --J.T., Lake Zurich

A. It sounds like you've regularly maintained the Aztek and that it's running fine. So there should be no need for extensive under-hood work, other than perhaps replacing spark plug wires, hoses and belts and a few emissions-related items. Ask the facility which items need replacement -- and why. Then get a second opinion from another shop.

Q. A fellow worker has kept the original tires on his medium-priced small car for more than 80,000 miles and seems to have made a game out of getting even more wear from them. He drives a long distance to and from work each day, but I can't talk him into getting new tires. I'm afraid one or more of the tires will fail and he will be involved in a bad accident. --G.W., Libertyville

A. If that person thinks he's playing a game, it's a very dangerous one. Besides the imminent possibility of tire failure, his car isn't steering, handling or braking as it should. He might not have noticed that because he's gradually become accustomed to the deteriorating tires as they have deteriorated.

Car question? Send it to Dan Jedlicka, Chicago Sun-Times, 350 N. Orleans, Chicago 60654, or e-mail djedlicka@suntimes.com. Include name and hometown.