Dead scooter

My scooter died last night. The engine kept running while making horrible noises until I stopped, then it died instead of idling. Now the starter sounds like it's not attached to the engine (spins at high speed, doesn't turn the engine over). I'm going to drop it off at AMR for a diagnosis and estimate, but if the repair is going to be more than about $300 then I might as well just buy a new scooter instead. Anyone out there do scooter repair for less than $60/hr?

Until further notice, I am on foot (or might pick up a $25 bike at a thrift shop).