I'd have a look at the ball joints. You'll need to get the wheel off the ground to check, and most people need a pry bar to move them. CV joints can make some pretty impressive noise at times, as well.
As for everything being tight, it almost always seems that way.
Both the CV and ball joint boots degrade fairly quickly in relation to other vehicles. It's not a terminal design issue, but it's something to keep in mind. They often aren't replaced. It's not high tech stuff under that skirt; it's quite primitive and, while that removes complexity, it means you need to keep a closer eye on preventative maintenance.
Checking the ball joint boots is easy. To check the CV boots, you'll need to turn the wheels every which way, and try to open up the corrugations a bit to see if one has split. If either have been damaged or perished over time, that doesn't mean you have a mechanical problem, as they still hold up a long time, but it does warrant an inspection of the parts.
If there were anything wrong with your fender, the bolts are by the door hinges, on the top under the hood, and a few more I can't remember at the moment for some unfathomable reason. You'd have to have a lot of shit loose for that aluminum fender to make a noise.
They are surprisingly light. Even a weak person can pick one up with one finger, and there's nothing heavy nearby to knock on them unless you've got an extremely severe problem that would be immediately apparent the second you looked at the vehicle.
The only thing that would likely bang around on the fender is the turn signal housing. One screw under the hood, and a snap thing that never seems to go in properly. Even then you're not going to hear it moving, as it's wedged in there pretty good.
Cheers,
Kennith
