Wow, quite the post. I too run an OPEC machine on wheels. Over the last year I have purchased two non-Jeep vehicles and found that the alignment was WAY out of wack resulting in one of the vehicles burning through brand new tires in 13,000 km. The vehicle is a hybrid with low rolling resistence rubber. For the most part, people will occasionally get the front end aligned done but omit the rear end. One of the vehicles was practically going down the road side ways due to rear wheel alignment. This is all to say, when ever you purchase a used vehicle, check the suspension for any immediate issues then consider a 4 wheel alignment which, if out, will provide dividends in many areas. Also, have experienced my Jeep dragging a drum brake. These issues are not exactly sexy like blowers but are realtively cheap to fix and check. Just my two cents.