The question requires selecting the correct verb phrase to complete the sentence, indicating an action performed by someone else because the subject could not do it himself.

Understanding Causative Verbs: 'Get Something Done'

The sentence structure involves a causative verb, where someone arranges for an action to be performed by another person. The common causative structure is 'get something done', meaning to cause something to be done or completed.

Analyzing Sentence Completion Options

• Option 1: $got it fixed$ - This uses the past tense causative structure 'got + object + past participle'. It correctly implies that the subject arranged for the car (it) to be fixed by someone else in the garage. This fits the context perfectly: "He did not manage to fix the car himself, so he got it fixed in the garage."
• Option 2: $getting it fixed$ - This is the present participle/gerund form. It doesn't fit the past tense narrative of the sentence.
• Option 3: $gets fixed$ - This is the simple present tense. It is incorrect because the first part of the sentence ("He did not manage...") is in the past tense, requiring a corresponding past action or result.
• Option 4: $got fixed$ - This structure is incomplete or potentially ambiguous. While 'got' is past tense, "He got fixed" implies the subject himself was fixed, which is illogical. The object 'it' (the car) is missing from its correct position before the past participle 'fixed'. The correct causative form requires the object: 'got it fixed'.

Final Answer Justification

Option 1, $got it fixed$, correctly uses the past tense causative structure to convey that the subject arranged for the car repair at the garage after failing to do it himself. It is grammatically sound and logically fits the sentence context.