Barney won't quit!!

When it was new, I used to get 28 to 36 mpg fuel economy. On one trip to Valdez, I got 43 MPG. The wind was with us. For the last 5 years, that has been around 18 to 24 on average. I don't do much highway anymore. She has 87K miles and runs tired now. I can easily tell the difference from when she was new. Her pep returns when I use the Premium gas. So that is all I buy anymore.
My ex named her Barney because she is purple and my daughter loved Barney.
I bought her brand new for 14K in Dec. 1996. I had the Ford A plan, which allows a discount off new vehicles. I didn't buy an extended service plan (ESP) until 35,952 miles. Then I went in and signed up for a 10 month payment plan with no interest.
She had a rear main seal blow at 46K miles. The ESP paid for all except the first $50.00. It also covered a free rental car for the week she was down.
The radiator hose leaked 2 times around 60K miles. Finally, they found a pin hole in the radiator. The ESP paid for another radiator.
The radio started eating tapes around 55K miles. I had it fixed the same time as the radiator for the same $50.00.
I have enjoyed the heck out of my escort. I will keep her and fix minor issues because it is a very dependable car. This May I spoke to a salesperson at Ford. He told me the Escorts of my year are doing great into the 250,000 mile range. She has a lot of life left to live for me and my kids.