Help!! Mechanic screwed me!, Dropped my 5th gen off for an estimate. Options

[LimitedST]

The other day i had my dad drop off my 5th gen celica at a mechanics to get an estimate. The car wouldnt start. It would crank, but not turn over. And today we get a phone call from the mechanic saying the car is fixed and it is going to be 700 dollars to fix it. 700?!?!?! for 700 dollars i woulda bought a new engine for my 6th gen celica that has been sitting for a year... or for 1200 i coula have picked up another 5th gen celica with no issues. Because mine needs a new windshiled (insurance does not cover it) the car blows blue smoke, and i know he didnt fix that on the car because he would need to order the parts, which is impossible to recieve and fix in one day. So theres still plenty of money that needs to be stuck into the car.
What are my options? theres no way im paying 700 dollars when i was never even given an estimate, or told what was even wrong with the car.

unfortunatly i have to go to work and wont be able to check this during the day, So if anyone with some good information on what i could do, text it to me, also posting here will be just as good but itll be awhile till i can check it.
Thank you
Jacob Strapko
623 326 5602

[GriffGirl]

I'm not sure how much leverage the mechanic has if he doesn't have a signed work order authorizing him to do the work on the car. If the mechanic did the work without being authorized to, I'd find out what was done on the car and reimburse him for the parts only, but not the labor.

However if your father said to him "I don't care, just fix it" then someone needs to pay the man and the issue becomes about a miscommunication between you and your father. If that's the case, you might sit down with your father and explain to him that you would have NEVER authorized the mechanic to fix the car had you known it would cost $700 and that someone should have consulted you FIRST before doing the work.

I'd see if your father is willing to split it with you, since after all, it is YOUR car, and you put your own responsibility on him to get it taken care of. There's no real excuse there - you can't say "well I had to work" or whatever as far as why you had your father take the car in for you. You want to be grown up and have a car, well responsibilities come with that too. Not to be a hardass or anything, but it's true, sorry.