Car Issues : -(

Well, I think my '97 is nearing EOL. Here's my log of the past few weeks:

6/15
9am - car dashboard lights up
12pm - AMA boost, go inside office to finish things up
1pm - go back to car, it has stopped running (with my keys locked inside)
3pm - AMA tow to dealership

6/16
9am - Alternator replaced
4:00 pm - pick up car & $700 bill (a few other minor things done too)
4:35 pm - stalls and loses power 5 minutes after I drive it off on the way home at a major intersection
5:30 pm - Called dealership back and they tell me to "keep driving it"!?! Also to keep the car running for 15 minutes and leaving it off for a few minutes. Lather... rinse... repeat...

6/17
10am - Followed up with dealership in the morning. Told to "keep driving it"!?! They say that maybe the "Error Idle Control" was not set properly... If this causes the car to stall in 5 minutes after taking it on the road, you'd think that this would be something that should be easily done.

6/23
Noticed that it now takes 2-3 times before it starts up... possibly the fuel filter going?

7/03
6pm - doesn't start at all now
10pm - boosted by AMA

7/04
10am - booked another appointment with dealership
7pm - car doesn't start, used final free AMA service call to boost, tech notices loose battery connection. Drove directly to dealership, "do no pass go" as AMA manager recommends.

7/05
1:30pm - car still getting looked at...
5pm - new car battery put in. Guess it was fine but died two weeks after the alternator was replaced. Another ~200 bucks put into the clunker.

7/15
9am - car keeps trying to turn over but doesn't start...
10am - car finally starts, so I just dropped it off at the dealership again for them to re-inspect

7/18
Dealership takes a look at it for two days but can't find anything wrong with it. They did lend me a rental, a 2-door pontiac pursuit, this time around tho.

7/19
9am - I go swap the rental back for my wheels.

7/31
The car has been fine since then, even took it up to Edmonton last weekend. Have used up all my AMA service calls and tow for the rest of the year though. Actually I do realize the car has been pretty good for me as it is a '97 but I haven't even put 120,000 km into it. I was planning on looking at a new set of wheels late in the Fall after my trip, but I was hoping to have this done on my terms.