My 1995 Camry was riding rough, so I took it into my mechanic who said
“New shocks. Costs about 700 dollars.”
“Ho-ho-hold on. Seven HUNDRED dollars?”
“Yes. Very expensive, I know.”
No shit. I think the last time I got new shocks for a car, it cost like $150, maybe ten years ago.
Does this sound even close to reasonable to anyone? Have I dropped a memory card here, or have prices gone up this much, or is there something about the Camry that didn’t apply to my other cars, or what?
Including install, yes that’s a good price (and maybe an alignment?)
Not including install, unless he’s selling Tein coil overs or something, that’s not a good price 
Shock/strut installs are time consuming. You could do it yourself though if you wanted to (shocks by themselves sell around here for ~$100 CAN a pair).
Actually they may be struts rather than shocks.
I had new rear end struts replaced on a 94 buick several years ago. Cost was high about $500 US. They were very noisy and rode like a truck. The (new?) service manager replaced them two ot three times an no cost. Still have them and they still are noisy and bumpy. I think the sm got fired over the deal.
BTW The new shocks/struts are gas, not oil, filled. Seem to be erratic is some respects.
For the benefit of all who are interested in this type of thread:
The OP did very well by mentioning the year and model of car.
The OP left things very confusing by not specifying whether he’s talking about shocks for the front, rear, or both. As you can imagine, it makes a world of difference.
In this particular case, we know the vehicle uses struts front and rear, so the misnomer “shocks” is not an issue. In some cases, however, it would be an issue for accuracy.
Just keep in mind, the sloppier the question, the less reliable and useful the answers.
Last year I replaced the rear struts on my 87 Mazda 323. My (now former) regular mechanic quoted a price about half the OP’s (ergo I assume that’s a front and rear job). Instead I bought the struts off eBay and had a guy with a one-man shop do the install, all for half price. Took more time. Not just waiting for them to come up for sale on eBay but also had to wait for the mechanic to have a free slot.
In short, the price is probably typical, but you can do better if you work at it.
$700 seems a bit much to me. I would get a few more estimates, as replacing shocks and struts is not extremeley hard. Ever better, if you have a mechanically inclined friend that can “work on cars” go buy a service manual for your car, the correct parts, and a 12 pack of his favorite beer, then spend a saturday fixing your car.
It seems a little high, but not outrageously, assuming you’re only having the front done. If you’re having all 4 done, it’s a good price.
I have a 97 Camry and I had both front struts (and yes, the Camry, at least my year, has 4 struts, not shocks) done for about $550…and that was from a friend-of-the-family shop, not a dealer. Part of the cost was that when the strut wears out, it starts wearing the support plate as well, so both parts need replacing. The parts are expensive, and as someone pointed out, struts are a PITA job.
I know that for my wifes 94 Camry, to replace the rear struts required removing a fairly substantial amount of lining and such from the trunk (Rear struts, of course).
The one complaint I had about that car is that it seemed to be designed so that only people who had access to a full garage could work on it.
Howyadoin,
Late model Cadillacs use electronically controlled struts that cost $900. A piece. Not including installation.
-Rav
Year? Engine size? Front or rear? Over at Parts America, they list :
Monroe 71980 See image and details for this item
Sensa-Trac Strut: Front;Sedan, Coupe & Wagon (Sxv10, Vcv10, Mcv10 Chassis);Left Units; 1 Req. Per Vehicle
Lifetime Limited Warranty Find in a store Ships in 1 day
Weight: 12.1 lbs. $74.99
For vehicle: 1995 TOYOTA CAMRY LE V6 3.0 Liter FI
I have been quoted in excess of $900.00 for just REAR struts for my 1994 Toyota Corolla. I’ve been told that it is due to the large number of hours that “the book” calls for with this car.
The “book” is a competent mechanic’s best friend. FIgure four hours, per book time, meaning 90 minutes by clock time. Amazing how those good mechanics can put in a 36-hour day. 
I once had a seasoned Jaguar mechanic say something to me along the lines of “the book is written for shops that have bays full of monkeys that dropped out of high school shop class and aren’t familiar with your make and model.”
Final tally: $806.
And when I drove it home, I don’t know, maybe I was expecting it to ride like I was floating on cream, but it just didn’t seem $806 better.
A guy I know had a Jaguar XJ-6. Cost him OVER $1100.00 to rplace the rear shocks! The reason? on the Jag, you have to drop the rear end to do this! Talk about STUPID engineering.
On my 1968 Chevy, you could change the rear shocks in less than an hour!
I can’t speak for jags.
But most rear ends are held in by only a few bolts.
No problem at all to take out.
Just like doctors and lawyers, huh? Not to mention plumbers. I’ve argued this garbage before and I’ll argue it again. Mechanics are often, if not usually, paid on a commision or flat-rate basis. Like all good tradesmen, they put in long hours of study, and they acquire experience by performing the work. They buy their own tools, including a bunch of specialized tools, and they utilize those tools in the best way they can, for their benefit and for the benefit of the customer. If a job is rated at four hours, and the mechanic can do it in two, so TFW? After a competent mechanic has done the same job a few times, he damn well should be able to do it in less time than he required the first time he did it. The customer agrees on a price before work is started; if the mechanic does a good job and the customer is satisfied, why would anyone expect the mechanic to reduce his charges simply because he accomplished the task expeditiously and efficiently? If a job is rated at four hours and it takes the mechanic six hours to accomplish it, does the customer have to pay for six hours of labor? No, the mechanic takes it in the shorts. If the customer feels like mechanics charge too much, he is welcome to buy all the tools required to effect a repair, and do it himself.
And, to whoever made the comment re the flat rate manual being designed for a shop full of monkeys doesn’t know what the hell he is talking about.
I’ve got to say that as a mechanic I can usually do the job in less time than the book says. This is because I have a lot of experience. Most of the other mechanics in the shop seem happy to just turn forty hours a week. I hate doing Ford warranty work however, because they have really cut down on the time they pay. For example I was paid 3.5 hours to remove and overhaul a transmission recently. Sorry for the hijack. I know nothing about toyotas.
One thing that irritates me is that the manufacturers are more and more building things in modules. For example, the fuel pump for my Dodge Stratus costs $300. It isn’t just a fuel pump but rather a module that includes a pump plus some electronics that is part of the fuel injection system (I guess) and like most cars now it goes in the tank. This requires removal and reinstallation of the tank and the labor runs another $300.
It seems to me that more and more mechanics just plug in the test machine and change whatever module the tester says is haywire. Anything that requires mechanical repairs gets unbolted and sent out to a machine shop, then installed after the machine shop repairs it.