I carry a AAA Plus membership. 100 miles of free towing, per incident (up to 6 times/yr)! That should get me... somewhere.

I remember back in college, didn't have an old car, didn't have AAA. I was in the middle of an 8 hour trip to NJ, and was just crossing into PA, running with a few Corvettes I had found (that was some fun!), when all of a sudden I noticed the Alt gauge on my Buick sedan was dropping. I made the next exit, and as luck would have it, there was an Advance Auto right there!

This was a Saturday night, around 9pm - luckily they were still open! They tested my battery, and said it had a bad cell. Replaced it for me, and then tested the system again. Hmm - still not showing a full charge? Uh oh - it's the alternator! Now it's closer to 10pm, on a Saturday night. We were just going to NJ for a weekend trip basically. We found a hotel nearby, and somehow found a shop open on Sunday (???). We were able to make it to the repair shop on the charge the battery had (trust me, I was nervous!), and then had to wait around for 3 hours for them to replace the alternator. At that point it was around noon, so we jumped back in the car and kept heading for NJ. Got there by 4pm, and then left the following morning for the 8 hour trip back.

That was the last time I was to be without AAA!

AAA has saved me more times, it's been so worth it. Plus, I take advantage of the savings I get at hotels and rental car places. On a short vacation, the membership dues pay for themself!