I'll say that chim looks shot. Hurry and get it out while the price of stainless scrap is high.
If I were you, I wouldn't go with fabricated chimney systems at all. They are very expensive and they really don't last that long, and thats coming from a union sheet metal worker. Look for a local brick layer and go with the clay flu liners and concrete chimney blocks. If money is an issue, do the leg work yourself like cutting the siding and building the scaffolds getting the material, whatever you can do. In the long run, you will save money.
I Pa., you couldn't even sell a house until that chimney is either removed or replaced. Also, I'm willing to bet you can get a better deal on your home owners insurance by going with masonary. Funny thing about Insurance, when I had my chimney built, I had some unnamed brand flu pipe that I demoed from a power plant. It was in real good shape but I would have needed 9 more feet to get me over my peak. When I tried to purchase some more of the same brand, I was told it was no longer available but I could get an adapter and another brand of pipe and also the hanging brackets for the whole lenght of the system. I looked at the hangers, and I wouldn't have hung a flower pot from one of them. I told my insurance agent that I was a sheet metal worker and have built, fabricated and installed all sorts of chimney/ heat exchange/air handling systems, and would rather build my own hanging brackets if that was Ok. She said that I shouldn't do that because then the brackets weren't U.L. listed and I could have problems if ever there was a fire. After I looked at the price of all that junk I went with masonary. I sold the pipe that I had and it more than payed for all my material.
Good luck
....the house sits level
