Take $1000 from your “new car” fund and redirect it to “maintenance.” Find an exhaust shop willing to weld in a new cat.

RockAuto has cats for about $200 in aftermarket (but compliant) parts. A local shop should be able to weld in the replacement for well under $800 in labor. Some might even let you supply your own parts (so you can get a quote from them, shop it on rock auto and have it delivered directly to the shop if it’s cheaper).

Dealership won’t do it that cheap and will use OE parts that are two to three times as expensive. If you don’t have a local shop you trust, start asking friends/family where they take their cars. Someone in your network uses a shop they like.

At $200 in parts plus 2 hours of labor at $125/hour, you’re at $450. Cats are readily accessible so it’s not going to take more than 2 hours to cut and swap.