just like a medical diagnosis, get a 2nd and 3rd opinion

Just took our 94 Trooper (about 145k miles) to the shop today to get a
problem checked out. When we had it full of people (normally just one of us
driving it) and pull out of a parking lot or whatever with a curb dip, it
would occasionally (maybe total of 3 times) make a bang/bump type noise like
it was bottoming out in the suspension or scraping the road or something.
Anyway...they weren't able to find anything conclusive yet, but said that
the drivetrain (rear end, axle, front differential - maybe not remembering
all that 100%) was quite worn. Some part had like 1.5" of play in it. They
were suggesting that even should said parts be locateable in a junkyard, it
could be costly to repair (perhaps $1200) and may not be worth it...and
perhaps would be best to start looking to replace the vehicle in the next 6
months.

Any thoughts on this? I've always thought of a Trooper as being a very
sturdy vehicle and not having these sorts of major problems. Heck, I've got
a 92 Dodge Caravan with 191k miles that in some ways seems to be holding up
better... :-( I'm assuming this looseness isn't normal? Cause for concern?
Immediate concern? I hate to get rid of it, but it would definitely be a
pain to put $1000 plus into it...

Thanks in advance,

Wesley