My VX is broke, and and could use some help!

[TheUltimateMan]

I took my VehiCross into the shop this morning because my heater stopped working. I would turn it on and no air would come out at all- Heat, A/C, Defroster, no air would come out for any of it.

Turns out, my water pump is broke, I'm leaking anti-freeze into the belts, and it's a much bigger fix than I was hoping it would be.

He just faxed me over the estimate with everything that would be needed and here it is:

-Blower Motor
-Blower Resistor (said it should be changed along with the above motor)
-Water Pump
-Timing Belt (again, said it should be changed along with the above pump)
-Thermostat/Gasket
-Upper/Lower Radiator Hoses

Also, I told him my ride as been pretty bumpy lately, with some odd squeeks happening. After looking, some things were broke there too, and he told me I need:

-Left Front Lower Ball Joint
-Inner/Outer Bearings

The total on parts/labor came out to $1928.46

That's obviously a lot of money, and if I get my own parts online (something he won't do because he said this type of stuff shouldn't be after market), I can at least save a few hundred dollars (and he'll most likely give me a small break on the labor in the end too).

In fact, I looked on eBay, and I know I can save a few hundred dollars by getting my own parts.

SO, here's my question (finally): All the eBay sellers I've considered have high feedback, and are auto part sellers. But with the kind of equipment I need, can you trust eBay? I think I'm just paranoid because he made was so adamant that aftermarket parts (which is what I'll probably end up getting on my own) not be used.

Here's a rundown of his prices... and the average good price I can find on eBay (factoring in shipping):


-Blower Motor:
Him: 179.99 eBay: 60
-Blower Resistor
Him: 51.99 eBay: 20
-Water Pump
Him: 129.99 eBay: 50
-Timing Belt
Him: 60 eBay: 45
-Thermostat/Gasket
Him: 31.99 eBay: 25
-Upper/Lower Radiator Hoses
Him: 29.99 ebay: 20

-Left front Ball Joint:
Him: 89.99(left only) eBay:50(that's with left AND right lower ball joints)
-Inner/Outer Bearings:
Him: 51.99 eBay: 40

Parts Total:
Him: 607.92 eBay: ~250


The labor is $90 an hour, with the Water Pump/timing belt taking about 5-6 hours, the thermostat/gasket taking 2 hours, and everything else taking one hour, labor is: $1079.00

Now, he'll probably give me a break on the labor, but that'll still likely be the bulk of the cost.


SO, there's my dilemma.
Is the mechanic out of his mind with his costs?
Am I out of my mind for wanting to buy the parts myself online?
Is anything on this list SO important that it must be bought from Isuzu itself?
Is there somewhere else online I should look for parts?

I'm sorry for the long post, I'm just going a little nuts with all these repairs, and I'm not at all mechanically inclined. Any help you can offer with dealing with these types of repairs is GREATLY appreciated!

Thank you!!