Is it worth fixing?

[MaBoule!]

Hi All Yaris Loving Owners!

I’m new here. I have a 2007 Yaris, manual transmission, 3 door hatchback. I bought it used in 2009 and I now have 472,000 kms (293,000 miles) on it. I’ve always had it maintained according to the schedule and rustproofed every year until a couple years ago. Actually, I’ve looked at a 2017 Yaris last night with more rust underneath than my ’07!

I’m at the point where there is a long list of things that needs to get done on it if I want to keep it: entire exhaust, alternator, front axle, front strut, tires for estimated last year to ~CAD$5,500. In 2020 I had new front breaks and a new starter.

After trying to navigate the car shopping nightmare these days I decided maybe I should get it fixed and try to get another 3-5 years out of it and reached 570,000-600,000 kms (350,000-375,000 miles).
I have a good, honest mechanic and he said the frame, engine, transmission is all good but he is afraid and not comfortable with me spending all that money on it: “What if the head gasket blows in 6 months?”

What is your opinion on it? Would you fix it?

(And I don’t have time between work and other commitments to try to fix it myself)