1995 Corolla Clutch

alright. so i just bought the car monday night. the clutch engages almost at the end of its travel outwards. i think this is nothing major. but it feels soft as well. but it doesnt slip. i would like to get a replacement clutch for it, but i just looked online and a clutch is apparently 500 bucks. last i checked they are like 200. also, if i shift sorta hard, like pop the clutch a little faster than normal. i hear a kind of knock from the front end.

what could cause that knock? i talked to a friend and he said his old corolla did that cuz the engine mount was f'd up. is he right or is it just a normal thing