Hey there,
First post in the forums, kinda excited! but I would like to jump into business immediately.

11 months ago I bought my 90 Protege at 93k. Right now it's at 98k and is going strong - except it needs a complete exhaust job. The guys in the Midas, VIP, and Meineke told me that they can't simply put a sleeve where the pipe meets the muffler (there is a clear cut/disconnection at the joint). VIP gave me the best quote of $280 including labor, Midas quoted for $400, and Meineke gave an estimate of $365.

I am thinking to take my car to VIP; however do you think VIP's work will be sloppy? Should I look into other options? I moved to US 5 years ago and unfortunately I couldn't find a good local mechanic so far. Please let me know your thoughts.

Also, lately some other minor problems started to appear:

1) Car is pulling to the right. I am thinking of an alignment problem but I am not sure (I have very limited knowledge on cars). I know that my tires are good though.

2) Seldom, after I start up the car, I can feel serious resistance when I am trying to switch the gear from park to reverse (by the way I have an auto transmission). What could be the reason?

3) Second gear to 3rd gear passes are harsh. It shakes the car, you can easily feel it and it is annoying too. After I hit higher rpm, I generally pull my foot from the throttle to make the passing easier. What could be the reason? Or is it a general problem with old protege's?

4) A low-decibel 'tick' sound is coming from the engine when the car idles (generally 750rpm). It is not a continuous ticking but rather a one time 'tick' in a repeated cycle (every 2.5 seconds). You can hear it when it is idling and only if the hood is open, so it is not like knocking. In addition, when waiting in the lights I can feel that the shaking at idle increased compared to last year.

5) Car shakes/vibrates a lot between 60 and 70 mph's. Could it be related to alignment problems again?

6) I don't know if/when the radiator/timing belt changed before. Can the mechanic tell me if my car is in need of a new timing belt?

I am sorry for the tons of questions but overall I LOVE my protege and would like to fix above problems quickly.

If I take my car to VIP for the exhaust job should I also tell them to make a 4-wheel alignment for $70, fuel system cleaning for $70, and transmission flush for $90? Do you think are they necessary, and if they are indeed necessary, is VIP the correct shop for these jobs?
Thanks a million guys!!!