The 80 dollar an hour labor for a pro to look at it doesn't sound bad when you stop to think that, if a pro with the knowledge and proper tools looks at it, he probably wont spend hours chasing his, tail changing parts till it's fixed.
Some thing else that could be a problem is your springs. If the bushings and pins are loose, it will allow the front axle to move independent of the rest of the steering mechanism making it wander whenever a bump is hit or whenever the road changes camber, especially if road is rutted by truck traffic.
