Hey, don't think getting a lift installed is funny, I'm seriously considering it for next year. Between the vintage car restorations and all the work I do on mine and the wife's daily drivers I can justify the expense. A really nice dual post electro/hydraulic lift will set you back about $3000-$3500 (I've seen some for $2500 but I don't know if I'd trust them), and you don't even have to do anything to your floor, it bolts down to the existing concrete. The bad part is you need at least a story and a half of overhead clearance, which I don't have right now. So I'm thinking of rolling the expense of a raised roof on my garage into next years home renovation budget, which will then give me the clearance for the lift. I like to just sit back and dream about doing oil changes, chassis lubes, and exhaust work in the standing position.....ahhh.

I know what you mean about the exhaust work being a pain. I've done many many systems over the years and long ago I came to the same conclusion as bl said below, just cut all the old stuff out and be done with it. If you're replacing a muffler or cat, the pipe itself is pretty cheap in comparison, so just remove it all (or whatever is connected to the part your replacing) and replace it with new. Also, get new hangers and clamps right from the start. The time you waste trying to get old hardware cleaned up and in working order isn't worth what the new ones cost. Plus, since exhaust parts heat cycle so much, they rust very quickly and severly compared to the rest of the car, so you end up having to break those pieces just to get them out, as you saw already.