good price on a d44?

I recently had my XJ in the shop due to brake problems. Anyway, I asked them to check out the rear drums while it was there and they informed me they could definitely use replacing (which is probably true as I haven't done it yet in the 3 years I've owned it). Also they said one of the rear axle seals was leaking and needs replacement. They quoted me $440 for this work, but why dump the money into a crap d35 when I could get a d44 for less. I have a 3.5" RE lift and 32's going on in two weeks, so why not use this opportunity to swap in a d44. Anyway, I found one locally in CT. What is a reasonable price? He was asking $350, I offered him $250, but he says that's still a little lower than he wanted. It's out of an '87 w/ decent drums but the ebrake cable is crap I guess. Any recommendations?

how bad do you want it?

To try to get him to go lower the price inspect the brake parts (shoes and hardware) make sure any seals arent leaking, bearings are good.And if anything is wrong take a little off his asking price.

check gear ratio, if its a match do it.....IMO

tell him the highest you will go is 300

i got mine for 125

When I come accross them I sell them for 300.

I have paid 150 to 400 for them. It depends on how hard they are to find. Look around for a better deal. Bone yards can be funny places to deal with.
Maybe consider doing the work your self on the 35. It has lasted you for over 3 years and is still going strong. Unless you intend to go to bigger tires and off harder I see no rush in replace it.
My son pop the first axle on my 01 auto XJ. We replace both axles and seals with left overs. But at one or two axles every 5 years I'm not going to spend any bucks on a D44. Just my .02

You will re-use your existing e-brake cable, so thats not an issue.

$350 is on the high end of the normal pricing, but is within it. I wouldn't pay more than $150, but I can find one in a local yard for $125 almost every week, and have the time and tools to go pull it with ease. If I didn't see a dana 44 for sale locally at least 5 times a month, I'd probably be willing to pay $350.