My daughter lives about 1/2 hr from Cleveland. She leaves a message on my ans machine about her 89 240 wagon. She says that her friend saw exhaust coming from "the middle of the car". I don't know if there is any noise involved or not. I know that she had a full cat back exhaust system installed about a year ago.

I assume that it is the cat connecting to the (rather) new exhaust system. I'd assume that the cat is leaking from there.

I was wondering how much she could expect to pay for a replacement of the cat, including parts. I guessed 300.

I can pick up a replacement aftermarket cat (Wagner, I think) for about 120.00.
IF that is the problem, would it be worth my while to help her out by purchasing one in NY and shipping it to Cleveland and have a local repair shop put it on? Or am I nuts to make all these assumptions given the limited amount of information?

Thanks in advance for your opinions/advice.

Larry