i have a 91 honda civic ex as stated in topic.
over last month or so, i noticed the brake fluid would need refilled every few weeks and thought really not much of it. after speaking with someone, they said i need to get it checked. due to financial limitations currently, ive just been refilling the fluid when needed and it works for a few days now.
once fluid runs down, light comes on, still have brake useage for awhile after that and gradually it gets to the point that i have to push my foot in hard (to the floor) in order to stop. i've assumed it was a leak in the line, i started calling around today to get a rough idea on pricing and im being quoted 165$ to fix a partial line for the leak.
upon reading online i have found it could be a seal in master cylinder also based upon the description.

i'm looking for possible best ideas or roughly what i should be expecting to pay, do not want to get ripped off and a crappy job like my last experience with rotor and plugs replacement for 600$ at pepboys, to have the entire thing break down less than a week later and pepboys quote me the same exact price to redo the same work.(took it elsewhere and will never go with pepboys again)

not very car savvy and kind of lacking all the stuff i would need, but do have hayes book (kind of overwhelming and not entirely helpful in what it could be)

 

do you see any wet areas under the car or on the tires? if it is leaking from a caliper or wheel cylinder, you should see wet trails under the car. in the back it would be around the drum along the bottom. in the front it would be on the backing plate that covers the rotor. also follow the hoses and check those for wet spots. brake fluid is easy to spot cuz it hangs around along time to mark its place.