Volvo Repair: Volvo 240 Bushings Replacement, volvo 240 dl, personal sentiment

Question
I have a 1990 Volvo 240 DL Sedan. I was recently told by my mechanic that the rear low control arm bushings need to be replaced. He quoted me a somewhat hefty price (5h labor + parts) to replace them, and warned me that if they weren't replaced it would cause extra wear on the drive-train and the transmission. Is this something that's worth replacing, or at this point (the car has close to 180,000 miles on it) is it not worth it. Thank you.

Answer
I don't have a flat rate manual so i can't tell you how many hours they should be charging but it sounds like way too much.  It would be 6-7 hours for a whole transmission!  The actual job just has the car off the ground, wheel off, drop the ball joint, unbolt the control arm (bushings with it) and then put it all back with the new bushings (springs aren't an issue because they're unloaded).  If you can get the car off the wheels and on to jack stands in the driveway  you could probably do it yourself.  It could be kinda difficult though with not very much clearance to the ground.  Whether it's worth it, that depends on personal sentiment.  The car will drive better when its done and its not something that breaks alot so there should be no reason to worry that the suspension will require more money, but the longer you wait, the more you're pushing it.  Hope that helps.  Good luck making your difficult decision.

James