Help a USMC Vet fix his car for work and cancer care

I'm Ethan Forsythe, an honorably-discharged veteran of the USMC.

I'm between jobs at the moment and nearly all positions related to my profession are 25 to 60 miles away, hindering my ability to work and find work. Over the past five years, I've also been undergoing treatment for melanoma, something I have always been prone to and which requires recurring treatment. Said treatment requires frequent round trips about 100 miles away to a specialist. I think I made a wise decision when I purchased a vehicle that can do 42 MPG.

Right now, I also need to restart treatment and at the same time, my timing belt in my erstwhile reliable 2012 Fiat 500 has slipped and needs its 150,000-mile replacement. I've been able to handle all the other maintenance on my vehicle up to now, including replacing the starter (twice!), replacing the alternator, both CV axles, the muffler, the motor mounts, and all of the wheel bearings. However, this vehicle is a subcompact and subcompacts have a rather vicious tradeoff for their good gas mileage in that some of the more simple repairs for larger vehicles require a professional mechanic when it comes to a subcompact. The starter belt on a 2012 Fiat 500 is one of those things -- its engine is what's known as an "interference" engine. To put it bluntly, one small error on this sort of repair can shred the internals of this engine. It also requires specialized tools that I don't have.

The other problem with subcompacts is that most garages won't even work on them. You have to go to garages that specialize in imports and subcompacts -- at least, that's been my experience where I currently reside. The closest mechanic to my area that will work on my vehicle is 25 miles away, so I'll need a tow service.

The first mechanic who would even consider working on my vehicle quoted me $2,600. The second import shop mechanic I talked to quoted me $2,000, so I'm going with them. I'm also going to allot $300 for the tow and the Uber to drive me over there when it's ready.

Any inquiries regarding the cost of the service (with the quote) are welcome and will be promptly responded to.

Thank you for your support, it means everything to me.