'98 JGC 4.0 w/182K

Would it make sense to change the control arm bushings or should I just buy the whole control arm? I'm also going to change my shocks. My control arms are original & I'm looking for a better ride quality.

I would just replace the whole arms.

I would upgrade :) Get a nice short arm kit with tubular arms and neoprean bushings and give yourslef a little more room to the pavement.

ok,stop playing around. if your serous about changing your control arms, if your going to go that far. buy the new control arms in a kit,along with coil springs, trac-bar relocation bracket, longer shocks... (see where im going) YOU NEED A LIFT MAN. your going to pay up the wazoo for control arms and shocks any way. if you get a 3-4.5in lift it probably wont cost much more. if you do it your self, lift kits can be fairly cheep because labor is the major factor.

He said he wants to improve the ride.How is lifting it gonna do that?

my rubicon express 3.5in lift greatly increased the ride quality over stock. in-fact i would say that the stock suspension is junk compared to a higher quality suspension kit. the key in buying lift kits are, you get what you pay for(unlike just flat getting ripped off with oem parts)

Replace the whole control arm. Reason why is after you pull it out you may notice some rust has started eating away in spots you normally would have a hard time seeing. If they look good after pulling them out and no rust and the metal seems strong then replace just the bushings.
Most I have seen like rusting out around the bushings, I know i need to replace mine now due to this problem.
Depending on the lift kit a person can get better ride and handling. I was actually considering this option as well when I drop in a 5 speed tranny to go behind the 5.2L. I also was wanting something to get 33" or possibly 35" tires under it. Of course I like playing around in the mud a lot so this is almost a must for me just for the ground clearance but if it wasn't for that the Jeep still paws through a lot of soupy mud anyway, I just have to walk the hole to make sure it doesn't have anything in it that will cause me to get high center on the axle diffs. Which should be done anyway regardless of tire size and lifts.

EDIT:
My buddies say it's funnier than hell to see a JGC with leather and all the luxuries playing in the mud.