Head Gasket

I went to the dealer to get my back brakes done..I had an over heating problem with the coolant majically dissappearing after a couple hours..They say I need a new head gasket which woud be 14 to 15 hours of labor for a total of $1500..Does this sound like a normal estimate or are these guys out to get my money? And is the car still stable to drive for a couple days while I get the money together without blowing my beautiful V8?

thats pretty risky to drive on i think, but im pretty conservative on risks usually when it comes to that kind of thing. i really dont know how long it would take to pull of the head, but i wouldnt be surprised if its that much time... BUT i think they are charging too much for labor... 15hrs @ $100/hr? thats high. my last car was a nissan 300zx, and my dealer (i only had them repair 2 things: rear subframe bushing and a timing belt/water pump/cam seal/crank seal combo) charged $60/hour. 15hrs @ 60/hour = 900, plus maybe 100 in parts? that still puts it at a smaller $1000 price tag.
also, i know the aurora v8 has a 'limp in' mode where hte engine can be driven up to 50 miles with ALL coolant lost, it turns off cylinders and cycles air in them to cool them... i guess as long as you're only driving a couple days and you keep the coolant/water level high, you could be decent