I have had my car since July of 09, and recently I have noticed it is not nearly as smooth at it used to be. It used to be silky smooth over bumps and just cruising, but now it is far from that. It rattles and just feels harsh. My question is how to fix this. I don't think the shocks are bad, as I don't bounce over big bumps, but I'm wondering if there is a good way to check for the culprit. Any advise is helpful. Thanks.

 

jack up the front and start shaking ****, chances are you'll find something loose

 

Likely your ball joints are bad if they are original as well as your inner/outer tie rods and your control arm bushings. The shocks probably aren't "bad", unless you take speed bumps at 40MPH, but replacing those will give you the most obvious change