I'm 90% sure I have to replace my front driver's side axle as I'm hearing "popping" and the cv boot is torn. It's actually been torn for quite a long time (more than a year if not 2 or more) and I've heard the noise for an equally long time so I'm surprised it's lasted this long, but the noise seems to have gotten worse this past winter so I'd like to take care of it.

My question is for people who have either bought the new driveshaftshop axles (Level 0 stock replacement) or bought used axles. The car has 132,000 miles and the thought of new axles to make the car drive nicer is tempting but I can get a used single axle for $85 which is less than 1/5th the cost of two new DSS axles (assuming it would be stupid to just get a new driver's side). Obviously the downside to a used is I have no idea what condition it might be in.

Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience to share

 

137k on my IX - 20k ago II rebuilt the entire car including all new axles - I replaced fronts with DSS level 0 and OEM rears - Buying new is well worth the investment!! No issues at all with the DSS units.

John-