Suspension feels 'off' - how to diagnose?

[nolaride]

As my username probably makes obvious, I'm a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana. For all the many reasons I think this city, one daily annoyance remains: awful roads. Potholes are pretty much unavoidable during my short daily drives (usually less than 100 miles/week) and lately, the ride seems noticeably rougher.

I've owned my 5 speed 2007 sedan (crank windows FTW) since January of this year. I'm unsure of the previous history, such as whether the previous owner replaced shocks at 50,000 miles as recommended. I've got to take the car into my mechanic for a 75K service anyway and I was wondering what I should expect him to say.

In short, is there any way to tell if it's the shocks that are blown versus shocks and destroyed coils? Basically I want to have some idea of how much hurt I can anticipate, wallet-wise.

Oh, and please speak slowly and clearly; I'm not a dumb guy but I'm new to cars (or at least worrying about what it takes to fix them). Ultimately, I'd like to do my own repairs but one step at a time.

Many thanks in advance!