Gas saving and comfortable ride?

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by theholycow

That is always a great concern of mine. I don't like noise and I don't like a harsh ride.

Think outside the Japanese box. Look at GM cars with the 3.8, like a Buick LeSabre, and the Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis. Read about them in the Hypermile Sleepers thread.

My VW is tight and smooth, though not the most plush ride it's quiet and comfortable. Bumps aren't swallowed by the suspension but they don't feel bad.

yes agreed, the best seats ive sat in are in a pontiac grand prix

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

I look at the vehicle construction... Generally speaking - vehicles built on frames are smoother than unibody vehicles. Longer wheelbases ride better than short wheelbases, and heavier vehicles ride better. IMHO thebest riding car currently on the market would be a Mercury Grand Marquis.

-Jay

yes hence why the 70's land barges ride like a lazyboy on wheels.

try any buick thier all comfy as hell even the new ones

[uriykir]

buicks and cadillacs I believe have kyb struts from factory, that is why they are so smooth. You can pick up some kyb struts for almost any car and the ride will be just as smooth.

[VetteOwner]

lol prolly not as buicks and caddys weigh alot

[FrugalFloyd]

I hate 70s land barges. American cars of that era wandered all over the road. You didn't steer them. You pointed them, and hoped they'd stay in their lane.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

yes hence why the 70's land barges ride like a lazyboy on wheels.

try any buick thier all comfy as hell even the new ones

LOL, I often say that my 81 Regal rides like an overstuffed couch. Even with bad springs in the front, it still rides nice. As far as handling goes, you can get full size vehicles that handle extremely well. I find myself quite impressed as to how well my 1998 GMC K1500 extended cab truck handles. Late model Crown Vics & Grand Marquis handle well. You can also opt for either an Impala (Caprice based) or a Marauder (Grand Marquis based) which are just retail versions of Ford & Chevy's police packages. You can also just search for a car with the police package. The Caprices handled better & rode better than the Crown Vics, but the Crown Vics get better mileage.

[OldCorolla]

Another car to look for would be a Mitsubishi Diamante, I had a 92 es with a 3.0 SOHC and an automatic. I averaged 28 MPG at 75 mph on the interstate with 2 adults and 2 kids and all the gear to stay comfortably on the other end . That road trip was 430 miles and 7 1/2 hours t back never hurt the whole time. I would recommend finding an LS version so you get the leather interior and power memory drivers seat.

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

Originally Posted by theholycow

The Sunfire, being smaller and cheaper than the Grand Am I had, can't possibly be a comfortable ride. My Grand Am was rather harsh by my standards* and the interior layout was uncomfortable too.

*: I guess that's relative; maybe someone who is used to small imports would find it to be quite plush.

Well the one I'm most familiar with is pretty comfortable, could just be the particular aftermarket springs, shocks, tires etc that are on this one. On the other hand I've known Mercedes that ride like a bus, meaning very firm.

[civic94]

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

Well the one I'm most familiar with is pretty comfortable, could just be the particular aftermarket springs, shocks, tires etc that are on this one. On the other hand I've known Mercedes that ride like a bus, meaning very firm.

that made sense. I was in a early 2000's top of the line mercades before, dont remember what model, but the body was pretty big and wide, so its must be a higher end model. when I was in the freeway, i expected it to be very comfortable and quiet, but there was more noise and bumps than a honda odyssey. Oh yeah, i have noticed alot of vans are comfortable

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

Marvin is quite comfortable, but I have put firmer bushings in him and keep the tires hard, to keep the handling nimble, and the shift kit mods took all the slush out the tranny. Put some craptastic gasmatics on the back, coz they were on sale..... need to get something decent back there.

Edit: Oh yeah, but he's not the first pick for FE, unless he'd be replacing an F-150 or something. Though the manual 2.5 vans of the same era can get high 20s... maybe could see 30 with FE specific driving.