[Jay H 237]

With 187k it's very likely these parts are all worn.

With that out of the way I will say you're getting way overcharged on the tie rod and brakes. I will also tell you that part of being in business is marking up parts so what you pay over the counter a NAPA (one of my favorite places by the way) and what a shop will charge you for the part will be different.

I would leave the shocks alone until you order the ones you want. I would not waste the money on "temporary" shocks.

The brakes would be the first thing I would fix though, whether you do it yourself or have someone else do it. Brakes were one of the last things I ever decided to do myself for fear of screwing them up. It wasn't until I had several other people do them on my cars while I watched before I realized how simple they were and no expensive tools were needed. If you're not comfortable doing them or scared to then by all means have someone else do them. The rotors should be machined or replaced when you do the brakes. You could just do what they call a "pad slap" which is just replace the pads but thier life will be shortened and if you currently have a pulsing feeling in the brake pedal when you stop from warped rotors you'll still have that feeling. Rotors can only be machined to a certain point, beyond that they become too thin and must be replaced.

The ball joints are something I wouldn't even do myself though. It's not the actual replacement of the ball joints that's the problem, it's the compression, removal, and reinstallation of the coil springs. Messing with those springs should never be treated lightly. If one got free under tension it's a good way to get maimed or killed because of all the built up energy in them. I work on cars basically for a hobby, for fun, not torturing or killing myself. You can check the ball joints by jacking up the front of the vehicle so the tires are hanging and then pushing and pulling in and out of the fender well on the wheel. If they're bad they will move back and forth and you may hear a clunking noise. With this amount of mileage the wheel bearings might be worn also.

The tie rods and idler arm are something you could do yourself though. Just take it for an alignment right after. In addition to a good ratchet set you'd need a pickel fork to separate the tierod and also a torque wrench for reassembly. If you wind up doing alot of work on your vehicles then a torque wrench is a must. A good service manual is also a must. Look for a Chilton or factory service manual. Haynes manuals are OK but they don't go into depth like the others.

Bottom line is I'll get at least another opinion from a different place. You could save money by doing some of the work yourself if you're willing to and willing to get more tools if need be. If you can't afford it all at once then the order of repairs would be the brakes, front steering, and then finally the shocks. Any vehicle that has 187,000 miles on it you'll have to expect it to need repairs and at that mileage some of the costly ones will creep up also. None of the parts you mentioned are designed to last forever.