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The struts are about $43 a corner from Autozone, thats actually pretty cheap. They are strut inserts and they are straightforward to do yourself. Just make sure you have a very large pipe wrench. I had a big adjustable wrench, but the Advance auto parts replacements that I bought had a round top nut, and I didnt have the tool to tighten them, so I used a pipe wrench, worked pretty good. I think it needs to be an 18 inch adjustable/pipe wrench to get around that top nut to get the strut cartridges out.
Make sure the ball joint boots arent ripped, and wiggle the tie rods. When I bought my car, considering the fact it sat for five years and had no maintence records, I simply went ahead and replaced all of this along with buying polyurethane bushings to replace the worn control arm bushings. (I actually bought a Prothane Total kit) But if you dont have the money to replace it all, at least check the tie rods and ball joints.
I purchased Bridgestone Fusion Tires for my car (I personally use ZRI's but I have aftermarket wheels. The OEM wheel size only comes in HRIs, but I have used those as well.) The Fuzions are DIRT cheap, and worth every penny, they arent the best tire you can buy. But in they're price range they are the best. I think the ZRI's are near Potenza grip, for the price of an all season tire. The HRI's are excellent too, they cost $47 per tire, and come with an H speed rating, they are very quiet, and will grip a hell of a lot better than any other tire for the price.
It seems overwhelming now, but when you are finished, it is SOOOOO worth it, trust me!
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