Crash one
I think your attitude to those who maintain C of A aircraft requires a little adjustment, it is not a case of simply throwing your cheque book after the aircraft and being ripped off as your post suggests.
The fact is that no one in the GA maintenance world is making much money (except the CAA) by the time the overheads are covered and the cost of having someone maintain your aircraft be it permit or C of A will be the same for the labour if you are getting a skilled service.
if you look at the typical GA maintenance hourly rate you will find that it is about 50% lower than a typical car main dealer.
I think that considering the overheads most GA maintenance shops offer good value for money, with the cost reflecting the overheads rather than the money that is going into the pockets of the maintenance company.