Jett1

Hi - My son has a 2002 GT. He's currently away at Army training and won't return until April so I thought I'd work help him by making some repairs where necessary. I was wondering if anyone could suggest what components of the suspension should be replaced in the name of safety? As far as I know all is stock and never been replaced. 90,000 miles on the car.
I'm good with engines but not so much with the suspension. He's on the fence as to if he'd like to keep it as a second project or sell so I'd like to keep mods and costs low. Thanks!

Urambo Tauro

Welcome!

Feel free to replace as many suspension items as you want, considering the age and mileage of the car. Each item influences safety in its own way. But if you'd rather inspect it first to see which items are actually worn, here's the order in which I'd check them:

Start by testing out the shocks and struts, just because you'll need to lift the car up in order to inspect the other items. Once the car is off the ground, check the ball-joints and wheel bearings, as they're more likely to have some wear in them. If any of those pops out while driving, somebody's gonna have a bad day. After that, move on to the control arm bushings and springs. While you're at it, check the underbody for rust too. These items all need good, firm mounting points, so make sure that there's still enough metal holding everything together.