Here are the symptoms in my 03 SXT:

Occasionally a little clunk while braking once I'm under 10mph or so. I don't feel it, but I hear it. Sort of a popping noise, pretty loud, only happens once per stop.

Pretty rough ride over something as small as a manhole cover.

I have noticed twice that when I accelerate quickly over a dip, such as a water drainage, there is a very fast/high pitch rubbing sound, at first I thought it could be the wheels rubbing against the well. It sort of sounds like the bumps when you're sliding onto the shoulder of a highway, but faster and higher pitch.

Other than this, the car performs fine. Shifts relatively smooth, clutch is great, idle is even.

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On a separate issue, my CE light is on. Code is for Emissions Control System - Small leak. (gas cap seems fine) I only noticed it after I had stalled, turned the car off and on very quickly, and then drove off quickly, but it may have been there before that. I also accidentally started in 3rd, but this was long after the light first came on, and I could smell raw gas for about a mile. Can you tell it's my first manual?

Any info, ideas, suggestions, anecdotes, or schadenfreude is much appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

The rear control arm bushings are notoriously bad on these cars as well as sway bar bushings and outer tie-rods.

Check those.

 

The rear control arm bushings or the lower control arm bushings? Agreed the rears go bad too, but the lowers on the front are the main problem causers of the two.

 

thanks guys, could that seem like I need a whole new set of shocks, when really only that one piece needs replaced? I don't really know anything about suspension.