The new to me 98' S90 feels a bit too much like an old Buick (or a new Camry :-(), it rolls a bit too much than necessary, and the steering response could be crispier. It also started making noises going over bums slowly - from reading this group archives, it points to the sway bar links.

I've got this car not so long ago, I have never been under the car myself yet, had my mechanic check it out and do few things right after I bought it. So, I am not sure whether it has Nivomats or not.
Is it possible to figure it out from the VIN?

Searched the archives, found an old thread from February, discussing this and other issues. It never reported the solution though.

Apparently, there is no such thing as poly bushings, no sway bar upgrades, and not much selection for the shocks/struts.
Monroe shocks have been mentioned few times. Are they any better, than OEM? Do they last? Are they gas shocks? Any place to get them on-line? How much do they cost?

-Michael
98' S90 82K
90' 740 GLE 191K