H&M Austin High Back sofa - am I getting in over my head?

[a1i50n]

I read through several posts and am starting to lose my optimism, but wanted to ask anyway:

Have an opportunity to buy a <10 year-old Hancock & Moore Austin (I believe high back) sofa in white leather for $100. It looks like it was never cleaned/conditioned and the leather seating cushion surfaces are all cracked and worn with a very large hole in one cover. The remainder of the sofa including the back cushions is dirty, but not stained or damaged and in fact looks like it would clean up to near-new with a little elbow grease. I called a local upholstery shop and got a quote for $70-90 per cushion including materials and labor to recover, depending on the quality of leather I chose. I thought for a total of less than $400, it'd be worth all the effort. Meanwhile I had left a message with another upholstery shop and they later called back and left me a message saying probably clsoe to $1000, though they can't be very accurate without measurements. Yikes! I would love a nice piece like H&M, but am not in a position to buy new right now and I have been dreaming of a white leather sofa, but I don't want to get stuck with a piece of refuse if it's really going to be $1000 to fix. Would this be a mistake to get mixed up with? Any possibility I can just order new cushion covers directly from H&M? Thanks so much!

Addendum: I just called the first upholsterer back and found out that the quote was for "recycled" leather aka bonded leather, but that it would take 1.5 hides which I could buy directly from the processor, who happens to be in my city, for about $150-175 per hide as apposed to the $350/hide he charges + $250-300 in labor - so is it worth the money to fix?