welding in a muffler is cheap. i got quotes of 25$ to do my sonic........mufflers ive seen 40-80$ thats almost 200 cheaper. i had a chevy truck for 5 years with a weld in muffler 2nd cat delete just cut and added a pipe in its place as long as the welds are done solid it will outlast the car. also i live in california i believe if your in an area where it snows tnat can decrease the life but big wow re-weld. just my .02