Learn me - quiet cars

This might be an odd one, but bear with me.

Whenever I'm more than a tad stressed I tend to be sensitive to noise, and noise can trigger a migraine. Which is exactly what happened after I drove the wife's Cherokee to the Bay Area on Friday.

So given that it looks like the Talon is sold, I might have to buy something a little more quiet than I'd really want to and might have to ignore the sportiness factor.

So far the list looks something like this:

• Mercedes W126/W140 S-Class (ie, 80s or 90s)
• Mercedes W124
• BMW 5-series (probably E34 or maybe E39)
• BMW 3-series if it doesn't have a fart can exhaust, which might be a problem...
• Lexii are most likely out as Ann doesn't like them. Otherwise I'd probably be looking at an LS400

Anything I'm overlooking? I guess I'd have to look at mid-sized sedans or station wagons up. Oh, and something less boring than a beige Camry would be good, too.

Anything at all with sound deadener applied to the floor pan and doors?

Crown Vic? Caprice?

Most cars are ridiculously loud, not way cool bad ass exhaust note loud, just engine rumbling and a ticking like its a tractor loud, the chryslers are the worst, 300's, chargers, just terrible and the road noise is terrible too. Stand in front of any jeep and it sounds like its powered by a briggs and stratton engine.

You're overlooking the Buick SUV, whatever its called, its built on the same platform as the Chevy Traverse. The thing is supposed to be very quiet. I've been in a few down at the rental place where I work and they seem nice.

I know you said Lexus is NOT being considered, and I hesitate to EVER recommend that purveyor of appliances...Toyota, but supposedly the ES300, 330, 350(?) and it's Camry "sibling" are very quiet. In fact, that seems to be their biggest selling point, as it sure ain't the sporty handling.

Speaking from personal experience, with the right tires an E39 can be pretty quiet. Not Buick or Lexus quiet, but quiet nonetheless. There's a fair bit of sound deadening in there, and the stock exhausts are quite subdued.

It probably goes without saying, but tires make a big difference in ambient sound levels in almost anything.

That is one of the key issues. TIRE NOISE.

Buy the highest quality, most expensive tires evar. Road noise will go waaaaaaaay down. For summer driving, this would probably be the Hankook Evo 12 or whatever (supposed to be one of the quietest tires around).

Probably not at all what you are looking for, but my friends wife has a TDI new beetle, and at freeway speeds its actually very quiet inside compared to a lot of cars (no louder than my w126). The quietest car i have ridden in that i can think of was new newer beige buick thing, but I would way rather have a mercedes. lol

I think my Cherokee is actually the quietest car inside that i own... so i can't help you much.

But really... talk her into a lexus. Bank Vault.

New Range Rover

This is for your health - I'd tell the missus that her preference isn't important as your medical needs, and go buy an LS400.

pigeon wrote: This is for your health - I'd tell the missus that her preference isn't important as your medical needs, and go buy an LS400.

Nice angle to the argument counselor

this

HiTempguy wrote: That is one of the key issues. TIRE NOISE. Buy the highest quality, most expensive tires evar. Road noise will go waaaaaaaay down. For summer driving, this would probably be the Hankook Evo 12 or whatever (supposed to be one of the quietest tires around).

don't know what the quietest tire out there is, but it's gonna be a big factor. Buick Lesabre gets a vote for quiet. 30 mpg on the freeway to boot. Yes, it's beige, grandma beige at that. If this is solely a long trip car, not a "fun" car, maybe it could be livable.

michelins are very quiet tires as well.
the buick rainier is pretty damn quiet as said before.
avalon
prius (lol)
my forte was TOO quiet before i got an exhaust. the 2.0 not the 2.4. you can probably get a 2010 for less than 12k now

My wife's A6 was a very quiet car.

I hear that the Prius is so quiet that blind people can't hear them coming down the street. Try a Prius?

Any car you want + ear plugs.

Prius has tons of road noise at highway speeds as it's comparatively light and has really hard / low rolling resistance tires (stock, anyway).

Wonder if the 50th post makes me something other than a "New Reader."

51st?

Nope.

I have the same problem. My Mini S is pretty quiet. The BMW can sometimes get annoying as the engine is a little boomy/base-ey Mazda 3 was also nice and quiet. The Benzes are definitely nice and quiet and easy to drive comfortably.

jag 3.0 awd? havent ever driven one for any appreciable distance, just out of the bay and into the parkng lot.

Peltor helicopter headsets and an intercom. During transits on the rally, we could talk quietly like we were sitting in the living room. And that's in a car with no sound deadening and a big noisy V8 and a skid plate bashed up against the exhaust.

Our E39 is nice and quiet on the highway. Michelin all-seasons of some sort. Expensive ones, I think about that every time I disable the traction control for hoonage purposes.

Well, if you want calm and quiet, good tires and long wheel base tend to be better. Lincoln Town Car/ Mark VIII? There is a reason that these are used to cart around those in need of some luxury and it is not the gadgets.

Also, Buick Roadmaster with an LT1. Go with the wood paneled wagon for retro cool.

I've got a 1995 540i 6-speed I would sell you. It ticks off all the boxes for you and I would even deliver it from Utah

It is very comfy, though for pure cruiser status I'd swap out the sport seats for standard E34 comfort seats. Gets 25mpg on the highway, and with the right tires would be very quiet. It currently has studded snow tires on it, but I also have a set of 17x8.5s with 255s (not the quiet kind)

Like any 20 year old BMW it has it's quirks, but I completely overhauled the front control arms and bushings and it tracks straight and has no brake shimmy at all. It had the whole cooling system replaced at 125k and it's at 145k now running like a top.

I'd rather not sell it, but I'm feeling the need for something more sporty. I want another E30 or a miata.