TP that's pretty much the symptoms that I have been getting. Mine is 17 yrs old with 71 k on the clock. Age and miles are different ageing factors I think. You're right. Seals get hard with age and lack of use it would seem. Where as a CV sitting for years would probably be a good thing. My bottom swivel bearings were actually corroded in such a way that the steering actually indexed in the eroded places. However, 8 years less bum in the driving seat was a good thing. Liftio pumpitis seems to be a common ageing symptom.
Chris
Chris