Hi,

I have to agree with on wanting to keep a good reliable car under someone’s foot or buns depending on one’s perspective.🤓

You are not the first to discover that Audi, BMW and the Volkswagen are no longer a people’s or a “folks” car.
That arrangement above has left reliability in the dust over performances and gadgetry.
Plug in the facts of reoccurring payments like rentals and the idea to replace it, rather than doing repairs limits one’s availability to create a budget. Not everyone can think like politicians, globally, who’s printing the biggest batch.

Things have gone that way long after the idea of darning your socks over an incandescent light bulb with needle and thread.
Now they are removing the light bulbs but I wonder how LEDs are going to work out in ovens. Maybe there will only be solar ones and that you won’t need a light bulb inside?
That’s going to be rough on the bakery shops @ 3 in the morning. 🤔

As far as which parts to do first depends on how bad is that driveline to begin with!
The Universal joints are the biggest worry here.
The one thing you don’t want to hear is a flopping driveshaft beat between the car and the roadway, especially, in traffic!
If you start swinging a driveshaft with the engine or even a differential rolling to a stop. Imagine if the driveshaft is pointing forwards and not dragging! 😵‍💫

Yep those trailing arm bushings are in there tight and if you hear clunks when pulling into driveway ramping approach, then a twisting fight is between the bushings and the two torque rods.

I don’t think a rear end can get completely out from under a car for the pan-hard rod, torque rods and the trailing arms.
These are beefy let alone the springs being captured under there by the weight of the car.

Now that we both recognize what is a foot in our worlds the 240 is still the champion of finding compromise with its design goals of the times. Sensibility has its virtues as time has always proved.

Your choice but get it done before any of rainy days start, if you are outdoors.
The driveline can travel those bushings … do not.

Phil