Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension Suspension shot at 118k Suggestions? What to replace?

As noticed by my other post I have some interest in the bat kit. Here's my story really. I have a 96 GL with no suspension mods and a set of 16" wheels I got recently. I bought a pair of ground controls that I haven't used yet. I planned on using them with some SVT struts but after I heard this was a bad idea I decided not to. To top it all off, I am not to financially secure right now and can't afford to get the koni's for them as well as invest in the needed bearing upgrade and camber kit.

I do not plan on autocrossing my car or doing any track events with it. Most of the miles (probably 80%) are easy highway miles with me in the car. However, every now and then it does see use as a moving fan (to and from school) as well as I attack some twisties. Ride quality is not really important to me however, my current setup rides fairly poor and handles poor on rough surfaces (of which there are a few around here). I don't want to spend a whole lot of money, I plan on selling the GC's to recoup some of the cost of this new venture. I have pretty much narrowed it down to:
Terry Haines Koni suspension and the Bat kit which both seem to run about 600 and I could get installed for $100 or so.

I am very open to suggestions on other things I should consider. I do not know what if any of the suspension compontents (control arms etc) are worn and should be replaced, if I need to I can take pictures if someone has the ability to identify worn pieces.

Being able to live with the suspension changes is a key concern of mine. If it eats tires or requires frequent replacement it's no good. As mentioned ride quality is not an issue but if it rides so rough the car is thrown all over on anything but track smooth, that is no good either.

All ideas/suggestions/tips apreciated

TIA
-Pete

There are 2 things I can say about my 99 v6 SE. 1. It handled pretty well with the stock components when new
2. At 70k miles with the struts badly needing replacement, it rides like ****e!!!!

I have a couple of recommendations. There are a few brands of springs that will work with oem struts. I know Eibach's will, I'm not sure about Roush. Everyone has been talking about some Roush springs that are $120 shipped. You need to ask for Cougar springs and there are limited qty's. OEM struts can be bought for around $65 bucks each so for under $400 you can improve your suspension function and the cars appearance. For about $20 a strut more, you can buy new aftermarket struts to go with the springs. Lastly, wait it out and see what happens with the Koni kit that is being worked on. The pricing seems too good to be true though, but if it is I'm sure a lot of people will jump on it.