Buy the cat on Rock Auto and take it to a muffler shop to get it installed. California compliant cat is $580, if you need 2, that's still less than $1200. Even if shop charges $500 to install them, you still walk away with $800 in your pocket.
If you dont have to meet Carb standards, a good EPA cat is less than $400. Dont buy the cheapest one, but no need to buy the highest priced one either.
Dont know how hard it is to change on the car, but I changed one on my truck about 2 months ago.... took about an hour. Most, I wont say all, cat convertors bolt on.
Last edited by Oldman03; 09/26/21.