Audi Cabriolet 1996, I have never had a car in the shop as much a this Audi...but at this point it's not worth selling it so any info/advice on getting the repairs done as economically as possible would be much appreciated...single mom here on a limited budget :-)

The issue I'm dealing with this time is a loud clunk noise (hard to find the right word to describe)mostly at full locking right turn although I hear the sound not so big at other times as well.After researching I found possibly a bad alignment may have caused some of my issues? Had an alignment in 2006, again a year ago,also had the left front axle replaced at that time,which was defective as it malfunctioned & brought the vehicle to an abrupt stop.Had both left & right front axles replaced several months ago & have weird noise issues since,turned out the left axle again was faulty,had it replaced yet again,this time under warranty.Ok ok the question,took my car in for diagnostics & the mechanic found the struts and strut mounts broken as well as the tie rods. Does this sound right? Recommendations for which company to use for parts & what this job should cost? Also I notice a slicing noise like a meat slicer?? 2 other issues transmission having trouble going into reverse, have to put it back in park and then back to reverse to get it going.. does this sound like a repairable problem or a replacement...the mechanic said it may only need a repair in the $3-400 range what am I looking at to put in a used/rebuilt tranny cost wise? Also I am getting the smell of gas intermittent when the AC is on...comes and goes...what could this be? Any help would be much appreciated...or even better if you know someone in the Phoenix area that works on Audi's and won't charge me a fortune...I'm almost $5k in repairs this year...and/or a reputable online parts dealer where I can save some $$ and order the parts myself...

Thanks in advance!