Obviously the upper engine requires complete overhaul, which would cost as much as the car is worth. So assuming I'm not going to have that done, what should I do with this vehicle, scrap, part-out, sell as-is? I'm not a mechanic and the wife will not tolerate a cannibalized corpse hanging out in ...

Has anyone ever gone away from the electronically controlled strut (quoted as 600 or 800 dollars, I forget) and simply installed regular struts, obviously forgoing the variability in stiffness? Are there options here, both in terms of fit and price? Is it even doable? Thanks.