Having clocked up 180,000 Miles in my Mk3 JE0E Grand Espace I can't complain about its reliability. An intermittent knock in the OS front suspension is getting worse, and I'm pretty sure I've traced this to play in the steering rack end bush (there is a bit of play in the inner trackrod ball joint too) The rack can move, slightly, up and down in its casing - making a clunking sound.
Could it just be wear on the inboard track rod end, the bit that connects with the rack , might be worth check as I believe that part is available on e-bay and much less work