Maybe its just me, but I think that "ride quality" is a matter of opinion. Really depends upon what type of ride one prefers. I actually prefer a softer ride, which slightly worn shocks offer. Yeah, the ride may be more floaty, but more sharp bumps go unnoticed, or at least that is the case on my car, that has soft rear suspension. If I press down on the rear, it will bounce a couple of times then stops, but by no means at the point of being "dangerous". Some cars come out new with suspension this soft. Not sure if anyone else has noticed, but I have noticed that the new Chevrolet Trail Blazers and the Isuzu Ascenders have super soft suspension. I have seen most all of these floating down the road, even 2006 models. A friend of ours has an 06' Trail Blazer. One day I was getting some packages out of the cargo area and when I stepped out, the back raised and the SUV bounced two times and I am not that heavy.

I have noticed the same thing (super soft suspension) with the Isuzu Axiom SUV, which is a 4WD SUV. They have very comfortable rides, as opposed to other SUV's with firm suspension.

I consider a firm suspension to be "poor ride quality". I have had cars in the past with firm shocks and I disliked the ride. Firm shocks (which most aftermarket ones are) remind me of riding in an old short wheelbase 4WD 3/4 ton or 1-ton truck.