If your GEM hasn’t already had the rear subframe / swing arm / thing the rear tires mount to reinforced, it’s a good idea to check the lower rear subframe near where the struts mount for cracking. 1999-2004 GEMs 2-seat & 4- seaters are sort of notorious for this.
Here’s a thread with some pictures to give you an idea
The 99-04 “longbed truck” aka Longback uses 4 shorter struts mounted to towers under the bed, and due to the different setup and angles, rather than the steel subframe, for them the towers have been known to crack where they are welded to the frame rails and sometimes the top of the tower takes damage. The frame and towers are aluminum which is a different animal when it comes to welding.
Are we still doing phrasing?