I just found out we have a loose tie rod and that it'll be 200 bucks to fix it. Is it a job that should be done by a pro, or can it be done by someone with a loose knowledge of mechanics? My father-in-law is a mechanic, but the only cars he has ever worked on are Crown Victorias because he works for the city garage. Should we just fork out the bucks?

Edit:
I'm sorry, I probabaly should have put this in the "mechanical and maintenance" forum.

if he has access to an alignment rack go for it, otherwise, pay up.

Do the work yourself, but you'll have to pay for the alignment. A front end alignment should be between 50 and 80 bucks if I remember.