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[alto_stratus]

This product review by NECN (they do a "Does it work?" segment) compares a professional buffing with the Fast Brite Lens Restore kit :
http://www.necn.com/searchNECN/search/v/42649665/fast-brite-lens-restore-does-it-work.htm
Fast Brite got a C-.

Yes, CV joint replacements are expensive, and often they recommend doing both at once (since they're usually the same age and near the point of failure).  I've heard quotes as low as $250-300 and as high as $700.  CV joints can last 100k miles, but mine have only averaged around 50k.

[veleda]

Regarding the mortgage, my payment on the mortgage amount that I've been pre-approved for would actually be less than what I'm paying now to rent. I *am* a little concerned about maintenance costs, however. I have owned a house before, an "antique", so I know about those expected/unexpected house costs that old houses carry with them, so that's a little scary.

I drive a 1995 clunker because I basically don't care about cars - as long as they start and go forward I'm good. I've never bought a new car. I just drive whatever I have straight into the ground, years after they've been paid off. Just not where I've chosen to spend my money up to this point. The Jeeps I've been looking at are 2006/2007, which would be the newest I've ever owned.

The whole buying a Jeep thing got started because I thought that the lights on my current car were un-fixable. My headlight lenses have NEVER been cleaned!! How is that possible, it seems like a no-brainer? Of course I need to do that, right away. When I bring it to my mechanic to look at the CV joints, I'll ask about that.

Thanks so much for this advice. Even with the CV repair, if that's needed, I still may be saving like $14,000 :)

 Sounds like a good cleaning really can make a difference.

[biomancer]

Headlights get dirty, both inside and outside, over time, which dims the light coming out of them.

It's not just the dirt - it's the fine scratches, from anything harder than the plastic (like cinders) scratching it.

Could I get a better job done by a detail shop?  Yeah, probably, but I'd pay a lot more for it too.  For 20 bucks and half an hour's worth of elbow grease, I get enough improvement to make me really happy.  Plus the kit works for multiple rounds of buffing, so it's probably more like $4-5 plus half an hour's work.

[ideagirl]

It sounds like you solved your problem, but I just wanted to point this out...

But herein lies the rub: I spoke with my mortgage broker and he said if I got the Jeep now, I would "crush" (his word) any chances of getting a mortgage.

That's true. So let's just flag this for future readers: if you're buying a house, DO NOT make any major purchases on credit while you're waiting to close. Wait until AFTER you close, because yes, it's true, it will temporarily lower your credit and that could make your mortgage deal shrivel up and die before your eyes. Many lenders do check your credit again right before closing, and if you've bought something--or missed a bill payment, or otherwise lowered your credit--your deal may fall apart.

Whereas if you wait until after you close, preferably a month or more after, your new mortgage will show up on your credit and will BOOST your credit (lenders like people who own their own homes), thereby making it easier and/or cheaper to buy the new thing on credit.

[veleda]

Ideagirl, thanks for the info on the impact of the mortgage on the car loan. I was wondering about that. It hadn't occurred to me that the home ownership might boost my credit.

V.