cv axle

im not a mechanic, but i thought thisd be the best palce to ask. my car needs a new cv axle, and since i always wanted to learn, i decided to take the oppurtunity to fix it myself. alota people have told me its easy, just time consuming. now, do i have to actually get a new cv axle, or can i just repair the one i have now? the boot is torn, so would i be able to just replace the boot, and clean off the old axle and repack the bearings with grease?

by the way, i have a 94 nissan sentra, 1.6L engine

I went thru this a while ago. I started with the split boot that you can buy-- it's supposed to be easier because you don't have to take the whole front corner apart. Unfortunately, they just don't seal 100% at the split and within a year I had the dreaded clicking noise when I turned right--the sign I needed to repalace it. I prepared myself to do the work and bought a "new" axle unit because I've heard many bad things about rebuilt units. After many hours of unsucessful attempts of trying to pry out the old unit from the transxle, I finally checked with a local shop as to how much to install my parts --- $60.00. I drove it over there and they replaced it the same day. For $60.00 labor, it was worth not having to risk breaking the transaxle housing. Mine was a '94 Escort, yours may be easier...