Here's the thing. You're too obsessed with this car. I feel like even if they gave you an engine and transmission for free, you'd continue on this path of never ending messing with it. Constantly replacing parts, constantly fixing something, constantly tinkering with another thing. To an extent that's what us car guys do. But sometimes you just need to stop me drive the darn car and leave it alone.
I feel you have 2 options. Buy a new car, so hopefully you'd stop messing with this one. Or quit fixing this one and just drive it.
Quit reconditioning things and replacing parts that haven't failed.
I just bought an '07 Sonata. It could use a re-tint. Was quoted $320 to have the old stuff scraped off and new tint put on. I was about to pull the plug, but you know what? Screw that. I put a cheap Apple CarPlay radio in it. Almost bought some cheap new speakers. But you know what? Screw that. The old ones still work.
I agree with your decision to buy a house and hopefully have a forever car. But that won't happen if you keep throwing money at this thing.
This is BITOG, he'll obsess even more over a new car.