Cheapest really comfortable car

[ayilar]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Honestly. I have a 2022 Ford Bronco. 2.3L Ecoboost with a manual transmission. The Bronco has a great suspension, handles very well, and with the 2.3L Ecoboost and manual transmission, is quite entertaining to drive. My 2nd day with it my wife and I took it on a 300-mile 11-hour break-in ride. The seats are very comfortable. The ride is firm but compliant.

All good but… how’s the noise level inside?

[ayilar]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Good. Quieter than my Z4.

I like the Bronco (like yours), don’t get me wrong, but I’m not sure that the Z4 benchmark is the level of « silence » that the OP had in mind.

The key for the OP (AFAICT) is to find vehicles that has all three qualities — smooth ride/quiet cabin/reliable — and then look at the subset that achieves this trifecta the most economically.

One of my cars (see my sig) is a 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. Mine has the rare V4P towing package, so it handles surprisingly well for such a comfortable car: with that suspension, its ride/handling compromise reminds me in some ways of the W124 MB's. With the LT-1 V8 and 3.42:1 gears, it can really hustle if needed (much better than a same-year E320E for sure). I have driven it halfway across the country and back several times in the past 2.5 years, including once with 5 other folks and their luggage aboard: everyone enjoyed the experience.

I love it, and it has been utterly reliable. I also own a 1996 Buick Roadmaster wagon, when I need to move tons of stuff. Similar experience with the RMW as with the FWB, but the Roadie is somewhat less comfortable than the Caddy (rougher ride / noisier, partly due to the wagon body, partly due to better insulation on the Caddy).

Would I recommend a 28 year old car to the OP? Nope. But that’s the answer with which I came up when I asked myself the same question as the OP three years ago. It then took me a year to find the right FWB, and two to find the right RMW. The key since then is to have found a honest mechanic who knows those cars, and to have the space to park those battleships.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by ayilar

I like the Bronco (like yours), don’t get me wrong, but I’m not sure that the Z4 benchmark is the level of « silence » that the OP had in mind.

The key for the OP (AFAICT) is to find vehicles that has all three qualities — smooth ride/quiet cabin/reliable — and then look at the subset that achieves this trifecta the most economically.

One of my cars (see my sig) is a 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. Mine has the rare V4P towing package, so it handles surprisingly well for such a comfortable car: with that suspension, its ride/handling compromise reminds me in some ways of the W124 MB's. With the LT-1 V8 and 3.42:1 gears, it can really hustle if needed (much better than a same-year E320E for sure). I have driven it halfway across the country and back several times in the past 2.5 years, including once with 5 other folks and their luggage aboard: everyone enjoyed the experience.

I love it, and it has been utterly reliable. I also own a 1996 Buick Roadmaster wagon, when I need to move tons of stuff. Similar experience with the RMW as with the FWB, but the Roadie is somewhat less comfortable than the Caddy (rougher ride / noisier, partly due to the wagon body, partly due to better insulation on the Caddy).

Would I recommend a 28 year old car to the OP? Nope. But that’s the answer with which I came up when I asked myself the same question as the OP three years ago. It then took me a year to find the right FWB, and two to find the right RMW. The key since then is to have found a honest mechanic who knows those cars, and to have the space to park those battleships.

1994-1996 Impala SS. That's where it's at