what is teh problem? did he just tear the boot or is the joint popping? if it's popping he can still safely drive it - just needs to get it into the shop asap. if it's just the boot (an honest mechanic -- i know... oxymoron -- can tell u if the joint is fine), that can be replaced for around $100 (trust me, just did it with my camry). he'll need an alignment afterwards, but it's really not THAT big a deal. in fact, if he's slightly mechanically inclined he can change it himself. if the CV joint is bad, then they have to replace that side of the halfshaft (shorter end or longer end depending on which side it's on)... i believe the left side is the shorter of the two, or at least it is on "yo's"... if that's the case, more like $200ish, but also something he can do on his own.

speaking of CV boots & joints... i was just under there checking mine over the weekend... is there anything out there to protect your joint other than just the rubber CV boot? maybe a 2-piece aluminum (or aluminium for u brits) enclosure that fits around it and attaches to itself? reason being, unless you check under your truck relatively often, there's no way to know you tore a boot until your CV joint starts popping when you turn, and by then it's usually too late! Looks like a $20 preventative fix to save you $200 in the long run.... do the math.

what can i say, i like to drive over fallen trees........... Isabel was a field day