So apparently my car needs a grand spent on it, a couple of hours for the mechanic to take everything out to locate the coolant leak... The going rate for a mechanic, about $80 p/hr...

OMG! You wouldn't want to know what I do for $16 p/hr and I'm sure I earn my money more than a mechanic... ha. I should've married a mechanic, or a chef or someone of use ha ha.