’93 945T, 149,000 miles.

I need a new exhaust system. It seemed to be louder lately so I took a look and the pipe leading into the rear muffler has broken off. I spoke with my brother-in-law (who owned the car from ’95 until ’03, when he sold it to me) and he said that the muffler was one from midas; he needed a new muffler in somewhat of an emergency situation so he went that route instead of what his independent mechanic recommended (which was to pick up a muffler from the Volvo dealership).

I’m seeing two options, one appears to be an OEM-like exhaust from fcpgroton, and a sport exhaust from IPD.

Fcpgroton’s exhaust, which looks like it would be ~ $190 (keeping my cat):

http://www.fcpgroton.com/Volvo700900exhaust/Volvo940T91-95.htm

This is Starla brand, which per the FAQ is “great quality”.

IPD’s sport exhaust. Per an IPD rep I spoke with, it would increase my horsepower by ~ 8 h.p. and improve gas mileage (if I drive the same way) by 1 to 2 mpg. Also, it would have a slightly louder and deeper “note”, is stainless steel, and comes with the connections / hangers that I would need. It’s “on sale” for $348:

http://www.ipdusa.com/ProductsCat.aspx?CategoryID=1341&NodeID=4086&RootID=629

Any thoughts on these two systems? I’ll most likely be keeping this Volvo for at least another 18 months, so either would last fine for that period but I’m leaning towards the sports exhaust to get a little more horse power as well as slightly better gas mileage (though I only drive the Volvo for ~ 7,000 miles / year, so the increased gas mileage wouldn’t pay for the increase in price though it would help).

Also, the catalytic converter is still the OEM cat. I knocked on the bottom of it with my knuckles, no rattling or anything. Per the FAQ, “Using a Fluke Digital Multimeter with the 80T-IR/E Extended Range Temperature Probe, you can easily and quickly assess catalytic converter efficiency…” (post being made by the Fluke corporation). OK, I don’t have a Fluke digital multimeter with the 80T-IR/E extended range temperature probe laying around; other than taking it to a mechanic and paying for his time, is there any other way to easily test the cat, or is there any rule of thumb on how long cats last? (the car has 149,000 miles). One more thing about the cat, in front of the cat it is held on at a flange by bolts. Behind the cat there are two pipes that slide into each other, then clamped. Separating those pipes in front of the cat will be a pain, I just know it (I have replaced a system on an old car of mine). I’m assuming that it would be easier to separate the system in front of the cat, then separate it behind the cat once it is away from the car?

Thanks!