Toyota Repair: the air conditioner doesnt blow cold, toyota celica, blow cold

Question
the air conditioner in my 2000 Toyota Celica does not blow cold. The problem started when the AC only blew cold when the car was moving. Now there is no cold air at all. A mechanic told me it needed a new compressor and dryer at a price of $1,150!!!! When I told him I wanted a second estimate, he lowered the price by $250.00. Does that repair price seem outrageous to you? Do you think that it really is the compressor? The car has around 62,000 miles on it.

Answer
I don't think I can be of much help, the first thing in diagnosing A/C related problems is that the prssures are checked with gauges attached to the system, this gives an indication of what may be wrong with it, without knowing the pressure readings I have no idea what is wrong, and I certainly have no idea if the compressor is the problem, it seems to me that it is a little unusual for the car to have this problem at this time so I would recommend that you get another opinion, do yourself a favor and have a toyota dealer diagnose it and make a recommendation and go from there, this may save you some money because I am not convinced that the compressor is the problem from what you are telling me.