1) Man what is it with alternators right now
Maybe they have a "one in, all in" thing going on.
They all get together on www.fto-alternators.com and start a thread called "I'm board...lets go on strike"
2) I know what you mean about the work thing. Once when I was about 19, I worked a 16 hour day with no breaks on casual rates. Came home to find a speeding fine in the mail.
Those are the risks you take driving a flash car. If you werent prepared for those kind of things you would drive a Commondore or a Bored Falcon. I know im prepared to pay that kind of money for the flash factor. (then again the car i had before my FTO was a Mitsubishi Colt 1984. I went from 1 end of the spectrum to the other)
Saying that though - $800 for an alternator replacement ouch.
Im not big on the mechanical aspects of the FTO yet. is it in a really bad spot so it has to be proffesionally done? I know that in my old car and in family cars my old man and myself have replaced a few alternators. Just a matter of removing the belt, unbolting it and refitting the new one.