An exhaust leak has developed from the flex pipe right before the catalytic converter. It's basically a spring wrapped with wire mesh that easily degrades over time, leaving the gaps exposed between the coils of the spring, that lets most exhaust gases and noise to escape. It has slowly gotten louder over time, to the point that it is now obnoxious and makes the car less enjoyable to drive. A year ago I honestly couldn't tell if the engine was running just by listening, but that's not even a question anymore. It wouldn't have gotten this bad if I had repaired sooner, but it isn't absolutely necessary and keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list when one of my other cars need attention.

I've owned this car for the last 60 k miles and two years of its life and have had only two issues with it. The exhaust leak, and a wheel bearing. I couldn't ask for a more reliable car, especially one pushing 200,000 miles, and 13 years old.