re: Think I need new shocks... dealership or some local joint?

Not trying to tell you what to do, but I have changed several sets of shocks throught the years and honestly, never felt a damn bit of difference in the ride or handling of a vehicle afterwards...

the way to test shocks is to stand on the bumper and bounce the vehicle as hard as you can...when you jump off, the vehicle should only spring back to its normal position and not bounce at all...basically, you want the "bump" to be dampened out immediately...