Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

The guy I spoke to for an estimate for my car seems to think it's going to be more than a grand, but refuses to just replace the frakkin' bumper.   He said without knowing what kind of damage there is underneath, he would refuse to just do that job possibly.  

And I was like 0_0 So I could be stuck with a five, ten, fifteen thousand bill?   And he goes, probably not even that much, but I can't guarantee you won't be. 

Look, the back bumper was smashed a while ago.   The car works fine.   Nothing is impacting safety, and the car wouldn't pass inspection because the bumper needs replacing, that's it.  

That's all I want done.   FUUUUUCK.   

I'm waiting on advice now.   Other advice here appreciated, because my dad trusts these guys, but it seems like a reason to tack on another thousand or so dollars worth of repairs to me.