Jack the car up a little bit and check out both tie-rods. Grab the tires at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock and jiggle. If there's play, your inner tie-rods may be worn/shot. I haven't experienced symptoms of ball joints, so I don't want to hint on this. Perhaps someone else will respond will other suggestions. I had abnormal wear on my tires due to inner tie-rods. When swapping out front steering components, replace each side at the same time. You'll only have to get an alignment once... saving you $50 or so in the near-future.

Regards,
Eric
'89 244DL 117k