I have a '97 SE with 115k miles that is having starting problems.  A few
weeks ago it was cranking and cranking but not starting.  It would only do
this occasionally; not all the time.  Before that time, it would start
immediately.

Finally got in one day and I turned the key and it did nothing.  The
starter was dead.  Had that replaced and the mechanic who replaced it said
the first time he tried starting it with the new starter it didn't catch
either, so there's something else going on.  But he couldn't repeat it to
try and isolate the problems.  It started everytime.

So now, over a week after the new starter, I've had no problems.... until
this morning where it didn't start until the third try.  I'm trying not to
crank it for more than 2 - 3 seconds as I probably burned out the old
starter by turning it for too long.

The mechanic told me you need electrical, spark and fuel to start a car.
My electrical is fine, so that leaves spark and fuel.  But since the car
only has problems starting *sometimes*, taking it in for a diagnoses may
do no good because it might not do it for them.

So my question is: if the problem is spark or fuel, what should I do to
try and fix this?  I know very little about engines, so I'm flying blind
here.  Should I just replace the spark plugs to see if that helps, or does
"spark" refer to more than just plugs?  And how could I check on whether
it's getting fuel or not?

Background on the car: it's been great to me so far.  I had a 90k mile
maintenance done on it and had new plugs put in and the fuel injectors
cleaned.  And this morning when it wasn't starting I smelled gas after I
finally got it running.

Need some help.  Does anyone have any ideas?  Thanks.

Tyler