As a counterpoint to LibertyCRD, I will say that there are others of us on this board that have spent little if any money on abnormal maintenance. Personally, in over a year of ownership, I've only "had" to spend $100 on a broken window regulator.... everything else has been done by choice. Meanwhile the fuel savings alone (after a few tweaks, I average 29-30 mpg in mostly hwy driving), more than makes up for the slightly higher costs for certain filters/fluids (a couple bucks, if that).
IMO, all of the "must do" preventative mods can be completed for just a couple hundred extra bucks... Although tunes, etc., are serious options to consider at a later date.
Parts are readily available both used and online. For your husband, bookmark
http://www.moparonlineparts.com and
http://www.moparpartsamerica.comYou say they are asking 17200. Is this a limited? What kind of mileage? Does it have a service record? As a point of reference, I purchased my Limited CRD last summer for 16k, with only 26k miles.