Yeah ok. A lifetime skill with no equipment to perform said skill. You can't weld without a welder. Most beginning welding classes don't start with MIG welding, and you'd still have to convince the shop to let you bring in your own stuff from home and spend hours welding on it using their equipment and supplies. I'm guessing you haven't tried taking one of these classes recently.
Did you notice what city the OP lives in? There's no freight, he literally lives in the same city as Firm Feel. And yeah, it's going to be more. If he has a bunch more welding to do, it could be cost effective. If he doesn't, well, it won't be. Pretty simple.
Like I said, I tell people to take welding classes all the time. But that doesn't mean you can have a fully functional MIG welder in your garage with the ability to use it well enough not to ruin your car for under $450.