Take $125.00 and budget it for a jack. Sounds expensive, but not really.

With $100, you can get a 3 ton floor jack. A nice one that has the valve integrated in the handle and rolls on decent sized wheels. It should also have a decent sized lifting cup (or whatever you call them).

The reason I say $125, is because you can get a good, decent name jack for that price. Make no mistake; you can get decent jacks for a lot less, but the big thing is that a lot of them are cheap chinese ones and the problem, is that the valves tend to leak a little bit. Not on all of them, but on some of them. Sometimes a quick hammer blow to the valve to seat it, is all it needs. Sometimes they never work at all. Some of them work perfectly.

Avoid the type with the manual valve that you have to release on the body of the jack. They never have strong handles, and they don't do the trick. I learned when I was in my late teens, that those were not the way to go.. despite the cheap initial cost.

I have dumped cars off floor jacks. Once when we were moving around a wrecked car on two floor jacks. Didn't hurt anything, but it wasn't good either way. It is best to watch out, be careful lifting, and stay OUT from under the car until it is properly supported. That should do it, in most cases. It is obviously a dangerous thing to do by nature, but you will decrease your risk 99% by dumping the car jack and getting a GOOD floor jack. Not the kind that you can easily lift and carry in the trunk.

I use a 90s Craftsman 3ton floor jack in my own garage. It's a good piece. Cost around $100, in the 90s. You can find decent ones for $75. Less than that and it starts to get a little shaky. Possible, but shaky. ANd the jack is the thing doing all the lifting... so why skimp on that?

Plus, I had a cheap ass jack get stuck in the UP position one time. Good thing I had the better jack to get the car down!
--
Chris Herbst, near Chicago.