Our Beloved PT Cruiser=FAIL

As I was driving to work yesterday morning my check engine light flashed on and at that instant I felt all resistance underneath the gas pedal go away.  Thankfully I was in an area where I was able to pull off  to the side of the road and make sure I was safe.  If it had happened ten minutes prior to that it would have found me on a very curvy mountain road with lots of blind curves and no where to pull off.  I still shudder to think of that happening.
The first thing I did was call my work and let them know even though I was less than two miles away, I was going to be late.  The next call was to my husband since he had the AAA card in his wallet.  In a stroke of good luck, he was on the road and only ten minutes away so he told me to sit tight and we would call AAA when he got there.
I hung up the phone and tried to start the engine again but there was just no luck, it wasn’t turning over.  Soon after a motorcycle cop pulled up beside me and asked if I was okay.  I told him what had happened and that my husband was on the way.  He asked if I had AAA and I said yes but my husband had our info so we would call when we got there.  He told me that they tend to act faster if they are dispatched by the cops so I let him call it in and once he was sure I was safe he took off and Rob pulled in behind me.
The tow-truck arrived with no problems and then Rob dropped me off at work.
As it turns out the timing belt busted.  The same timing belt that we were going to have replaced next week.  Yeah.
This is the second time in the last two months the PT has failed on us.  Luckily the first time was in our own driveway but let’s just say I am not a big fan of being stranded on the side of the road.
We are faced with a very difficult decision right now.  The PT is our “reliable” car.  The one we are planning on driving to Vegas in twice this year.  The car we didn’t plan on replacing for at least another two years, but we are both having some serious doubts about what sort of life might be left in it.  We love the car and it hasn’t really given us any problems other than normal wear and tear until recently, but can we trust it?
We obviously don’t want a car payment again and we can’t afford a brand new one so it begs the question do we go into getting another used car that we have to have a payment on and don’t know they full history on?  Or do we stick with the car that is already paid for and we know all about it’s quirks and problems?
This is not an easy choice and it is stressing us out!
In a brighter note I am quite proud of the way I handled myself during the crisis of being left on the side of the road.  I don’t do well in stressful situations, especially when by myself.  I’m pleased that I was able to remain calm and not panic or cry during any part of yesterday morning.  I of course had a panic attack later on at work while thinking if it had broken down while I was on the mountain top but thank goodness it didn’t.