Just thought i'd add that I recently went to Pedders for one of their 28 point safety checks which cost $14 (because i booked in for some things i didnt have to pay that either). Of course they will find lots of stuff, but included is a test of your shock absorbers and hey the test may highlight some critical problems heh...
The test showed my rear shocks were rubbish (which I already knew)... but the test just verified it, so I went for some "comfort gas" replacements in the rear, and damn it feels much nicer now!
Another crucial thing is bump-stops... these stop the car bottoming out.... if you dont have bump stops and you hit a big bump fast, theres a good chance you will damage/destroy your shock absorbers.
The shocks were $100 each. (Part 8299)
I got bump stops as well - kind of a protection of my investment in the shocks. The old bump stops were worn down to about 1-2cm.. should be around 10 or more..
I also replaced a lot of the suspension bushings, and the front ball joints which had failed were replaced too... feels like a much tighter car now :-)
My front shocks are still stock... their test showed that they had aged a bit, but not enough to bother replacing them. 169km on the clock. The rear end just feels really nice now.. before it was floppy and loose lol.
The other option with shocks from pedders is their "sports ryder" shocks which are firmer, and i presume are more expensive, but i went comfort gas for a softer ride
Got my other car for the solid ride..
Paul.