My muffler died tonight, and since my car is a Honda Civic, that means a completely new exhaust system, to the tune of about 2 grand.
I. Give. Up.
9:00 AM PT: Spoke to my mechanic, and he was able to repair it for much, much less than I'd originally feared. I am definitely going to start looking for a new car, though, most likely a used Corolla or another Civic, with a goal of replacing my current car early next year.
Thank you all so much for your kind wishes and advice. I appreciate it more than you can know.