Vehicle front suspension/good mechanic? (school, cost of, shop)

[happyhunting]

We took our vehicle in for what we thought was a quick, 60 buck font alignment adjustment, as our truck is pulling to the left. They got it up on the racks and they say there is about 3000 in front suspension work that needs done. There's also a problem where the part that keeps the right front wheel in place is rusted through. That part is estimated at about 395, and we are taking care of it tomorrow. Now my husband has always done the easy stuff like the brakes and oil change and stuff that needs fixed in the hood/engine, but this more advanced, we don't have the room, equipment/tools, rack etc........they gave us a pretty good breakdown and an itemized list of the parts and labor involved, but when looking online they are charging double the cost of parts and the labor is pretty expensive. Does anyone have a long-time trusted mechanic or shop that they really like and feel they get treated fairly at? What about a tech school or training place where they teach mechanics, any place like this that gives a discount on work, in order to have vehicles to work on?