Hello Aviator. It appears that your rubber spring seat has died. Usually when it goes bad you hear a clunking noise. However, by the other symptoms you describe, the center bushing of the rubber spring seat has separated from the rest of the piece. That explains your being able to rotate it.And, that is usually how this part fails.If it has gone bad on one side, it will certainly go bad on the other very shortly. If you are looking towards replacing the struts, the bilsteins TC are a good choice. If you replace the spring seats and the tie rod ends your car will feel new again, that is from a suspension and steering point of view. Also, take one good look at your lower control arms and check the baljoint. If your tie rod ends are bad, there is good chance the control arms are also worn. And finally, when replacing the strut you will have to remove the upper strut mount plate. It is a metal piece with a bearing on it that supports the entire strut mount and lets it rotate when you steer. It seldom goes bad and there is a small amount of play in that bearing, but they do fail. Use your judgement. Being an aviator you must be a wise man.

Good Luck