Continue with Bastard Build or buy new?!?!

I've been lurking here for a while. I have a 97 XJ on 2" BB lift. (spacers and AAL on stock shocks.)

I've wanted to go bigger and have started sourcing parts needed for a lift. I currently have used 6.5" Rustys springs that need new bushings and 4.5" RE Super Ride coils. The person I bought the Rustys springs from said they were 4.5" springs due to sagging (his jeep also had a rear bumper and roofrack), I have no clue if the RE coils are sagging.

Because I have a DD my plan has been to first put the springs on the rear to see what kind of actual lift I get out of them then adjust the rest of the build accordingly. If I really did get 4.5 out of the 6.5 springs that would match my front coils. If it's not sagging as much as they claimed I was thinking of getting an ACOS spacer so I have control over where the front ends up.

I would like to do a true bastard/budget lift and get as many used items as possible EXCEPT shocks.

Today I started looking online and have realized I can get a new 4.5" lift for less than what I'll pay in the long run for my budget lift.

Has anyone been where I'm at and if so what was the way you decided to go with your build and were you ultimately satisfied?

I am doing a similar, budget friendly, what I want approach. I have started by trimming first, added 1.5-2" shackles. I picked up used 5.5" springs weighing full length aal bastard pack or just lift leafs for the rear. I will likely wind up with shackle relocation brackets soon. Plan on BPE's for my shocks and leaning toward long arms right now, probably critical path. If I do long arms I think all said and done I will be just under $1000ish i originally planned on short arms but heck why not just go all the way? Just Empty Every Pocket! Lol. Still under 3k in the jeep so not horrible I guess...oh and my springs came with a transfer case and driveshaft for $200....

Personally, I'd much rather buy a kit from someone that's comprehensive. There's too much crap to deal with getting the geometry right (anti dive v. anti squat, steering bumpsteer etc), particularly if you want long arms. If you're on a budget you can shop used but getting something that's been beat on you'll likely need extra effort replacing bushings and the like. The for me key is getting everything at once with matched components.

I value my time too highly to research ever arm and link one at a time. Far easier to shop from someone reputable (Clayton, BDS, Stinkfab, etc) and be done with it. I don't think nearly enough folks factor in the cost of time in pricing their builds. Sure you can put together a Jeep on a nickle by buying and parting out Jeeps to get what you need, and/or wheeling and dealing until the cows come home. However, if you go that way you're basically paying yourself to run a wrecking yard service. You could put a roof on your neighbor's house some weekend and then buy the parts outright for similar effort.

The last comment is regarding warranties. BDS claims to have a "no fine print warranty" BUT it comes with one massive disclaimer that's burned me badly. The warranty applies to the original purchaser only. That's worth real dollars and is a big reason to shop new depending on who you're shopping with.

Buy new, get a warranty and save a lot of time.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm now contemplating still trying out the rear 6.5 springs to see where they sit. If they really do sag to only give 4.5"-5" of lift i'm strongly considering the Zone 4.5" kit with AAL and using everything but the leafs. If they don't sag and are much closer to 6.5" I may go ahead and buy the Zone 4.5 with spring packs. I won't ask for opinions on lifts here lol, I've got the search function down!