thats prob it he gave you a high price to put you off.
listen mate parts for mk2`s are cheap as fook i picked up a rear beam for £40 about 3 months ago, beware though you have to disconnect the brakelines when you take the old one off.
drive around your local aera and get quotes off all the garages you can find for the work, i take it you have a fail sheet?
tell them you want it doing, dont let them just fob you off, and if its too much work for them then go somewhere else.
or go and buy yourelf a haynes manual and some tools, honestly the only way to learn is to take something apart and put it back together, but REMEMBER HOW IT CAME APART!
i bet you will get it all done for half what you were quoted in a garage though if not less.
good luck fella but just remember if you do have a go yourself, its only a car and its not really that daunting.