Toyota Repair: which repair?, strut mounts, price leaders

Question
Hi Ted,

I have a '97 Camry, and you may lecture me if you wish--about a year ago, my mechanic replaced both front axles, and said the other noise I reported was from strut mounts that needed replaced.  He also recommended replacing the struts at the same time.  The cost he estimated to be about $475 (called dealership yesterday--they wanted $950!), and I have been trying to save up for it.  Now I have tax money and can afford to repair it, but in the meantime, it is time for the timing belt to be replaced, and the brakes need looking at, too.  My question is, which is/are most important to repair?  My feeling is I better get those brakes done!  And that would probably be the least expensive repair.  But what about the struts and strut mounts?  It's already been nearly a year--what will happen when they REALLY go bad?  I've never had those go out in a car.  And I've got 101,000 miles on it, so it's definitely time for the timing belt.  But my funds are limited.  Please help!  Thanks very much in advance.  

                     -Jo

Answer
Hello Jo, welcome to my expert page.
First of all you can save yourself some money by not replacing the struts(unless they are leaking) in most cases the noise can be fixed by replacing the upper mounts only, the labor cost will be the same but you should be able to save about $200 this way.
The brakes are more important but it sounds like you don't know if they are needed or not so have them checked and take it from there.
The timing belt is also important because if it breaks you can get stuck and have to be towed, shop around for the timing belt there are some very low prices advertised but be careful these may be low price leaders and they will recommend all kinds of additional stuff like seals, tensioners and water pumps so try to deal with someone you can trust, my basic advice is that if the engine is not leaking oil or water and is not making weird noises the timing belt is all you need to replace.
The strut mounts could wait, you just have to put up with the annoying noise but if you wait too long the struts can be damaged and will then have to be replaced, good luck.
Let me know if you have any other questions.