Am I being suckered?

[Alexis]

I have a '96 Saab 900 S. I need new brakes. I took it to a local mechanic, they want 700+ bucks.
275 for the pump part that they have to order,125 for brakes, 200 er so for labor,50 for each roter(SP) and 40 for the pads.

They are fixing the radiator /overheating problem for about 400 bucks. Plus 2 back tires. Which they say must be fixed b/c its killing the life of the engine.
So in total they want about 1100 for it all.

I am the poster child of what not to do with your car. I have tried many times to do my own research and not be taken advantage of.
Im freggin clueless, and I have no idea if these are normal prices. I don't mind paying for work and materials. It just bothers me so much b/c I am a single female and I always feel like im being taken advantage of b/c of my car ignorance.
I paid 1,200 for the car. I understand you get what you pay for, but do these prices sound about right? Thanks in adavnce.

[Roto]

Why is the pump being replaced?

can you describe the overheating problem a little more?

If this is egitimate work it's not too overpriced, but I don't get why the ABS pump is being replaced...or is it the master cylinder? The price sounds like a MC price to me...

[Alexis]

Yes I believe it is the master cylinder. Not sure why it needs to be replaced but that's what I was told. I will ask today why, I am going to pick it up in about an hour. These guys may be about right in their pricing(still not sure) but I get a bad feeling from them. Probably b/c they will only accept Cash for payment, not debit or credit cards even.
Since my brakes will cost another 700-800 to "fix", I asked him just to fix the overheating/radiator problem.

I dunno how to describe the overheating problem, it would just overheat if I drove past 10 miles. The little overheating gauge would rise pretty quickly, especially if I was stopped at a red light. Also I am in Florida so hot days are almost everyday. So it had to be fixed. I made sure to keep plenty of coolant in it, so that wasn't the problem. The mechanic said it was killing the life of my engine. Im not sure what else I can say to describe it. Hope that helps a bit.

There is another mechanic I will be going to for the brakes, even if it costs the same to repair. i just don't trust these guys. Its just after going to umpteen mechanics trying to see who i can trust is getting so very old. i dont mind paying for parts and labor done on my car. I just always feel like they are out to get me and its almost as if there's nothing I can do about it.

Thanks for your reply.

[Roto]

The overheating problem sounds like your radiator fan not kicking in. If I recall correctly the right mechanic can fix this rather cheaply without replacing the fan. The master cylinder can go bad, but it's pretty rare... it is a $275 part. Actually mechanics accepting cash is a pretty wide-spread practice. My mechanic does that because it costs money to accept credit cards. By the way it shouldn't cost more than $150 to replace the master cylinder and bleed the brakes. Do your homework, ask different mechanics, walk in prepared. I just did an inspection on a car that I bought from $200....why so cheap? Because it wouldn't pass inspection at one of the big franciases that said that a $15 part was bad. They quoted $70 for the part and $230 for labor... IFthe part was bad there would be 15 minutes of labor to replace it including three smoke breaks. When I got the car to my mech we looked it over and the part wasn't even bad...in fact it already was replaced not too long ago. I would stay as far away from big franciases as possible...never had any good experienes with them. Only go there if they have tons of positive feedback.