Sentence 1: Ben's car was behaving strangely. 
 Sentence 3: There, the mechanic said he needed a new transmission 
 Sentence 4:  Ben sadly forked over $1100 for the repair 
 Sentence 5:  Afterwards, at least, his car ran smoothly once again 
 Option 1: He bought a new car. 
 Option 2: He took it into the repair shop.