Bad business for appliance and auto manufacturers may be good business for the people who repair them. That's because, in a bad economy, people would rather put off buying big-ticket items as long as possible, and try to keep the old items going. In some cases, a long time.

"We had stuff that was 20-30 years old, only to find out parts were not available, so they had to buy new stuff," says Terry Ray, owner of Techtronics Appliance Repair in Marietta. "But if they could have fixed it, they would have.

Is this one business that's doing well in a bad economy?

"It's still down," Ray says, "but it's better than what it could be."

Ray says he and appliance owners have had to go on the internet or to the old-fashioned junk yard, to find parts for old durable goods.

People try to keep their old vehicles going as well. Pete and Libby's Auto Repair in Vienna has worked on a lot of them in recent months. But they warn, in the case of cars, the short-term fix can lead to long-term nightmares.

"We see a lot of catastrophic failures: engine failures, transmission failures, major failures where people, in the long term, end up spending more money," says General Manager Mike Sutton. "But, in the short term, they're looking for short-term savings, and that's in maintenence. Long-term is more costly, when you cut back on maintenence."

Both men say regular troubleshooting is the key to keeping that old car or appliance running longer. It can be little things like cleaning a dryer lint filter, or changing a car's oil or air filter. that means things the owner, not a repairman or mechanic, can do for himself.

Ray says he's seeing a lot of people bringing in stoves, microwaves or refrigerators in for repairs right now...in other words, items which are important in preparing those holiday meals.