Wanted: Quiet Highway Car

[MotorcycleKopp]

I'm assuming the crowd on this forum might know a thing or two about cars..... so I figure this might be a decent spot for some helpful input before I head on out to the car lots.

My time has come -my Subaru has given up after 200k with a cracked head. It's in the shop right now, but I see much more issues soon down the road. So..... since my Elio hasn't arrived (yet?), I need to go car shopping.

One of my very top needs is a QUIET car. I spend 90 minutes a day on the highway & I definitely want something quieter than my current car (stock '06 Subaru Impreza 2.5i).

Obviously, I also need a dependable car (who doesn't) with decent highway MPG. While I do absolutely love my all-wheel drive system in my Subaru, I guess I can do without it.

Certified pre-owned is what I'm looking at. Wanting to spend under 20k (wishing for under 10k lol), but I'm looking at 30k and below for the "quiet factor" to apply.

I don't care too much about any other bells & whistles. Problem is, I know all that fancy stuff usually comes with the quiet factor whether you want them or not.

I know the obvious brands are the higher end ones, but I keep hearing about expensive dependability issues with most all of them -especially the German & American ones. I searched back to 2014 & 2016 on this forum at similar posts, and Cadillac & Buick seemed to be mentioned a bit (update?). I usually hear decent talk in general about most all Japanese cars, but not so much when it comes to the quiet factor. And I know the Koreans come with very decent warranties, but I've also heard bad things about their CVT (of course, there is always the manual option).

But right now, before I start my search at the auto malls, I'm completely open to any & ALL suggestions. I'm probably going to start at CarMax, and then work my way to the dealerships. I've already done a lot of research all over online, but I want to see what this group has to say.

So..... anyone here have any personal experience recommendations before I get started??

 

[johnsnownw]

I've not really driven many vehicles that I thought had excess noise. So, I'm not sure I can offer much insight. One thing I would say is that Buicks are known to be quiet, and they would also be in your price range for CPO.

That said, I'm not sure how open you are to a Buick...but I think you could at least drive one and use it as a benchmark for noise level at your price point.

 

[bowers baldwin]

I'm assuming the crowd on this forum might know a thing or two about cars..... so I figure this might be a decent spot for some helpful input before I head on out to the car lots.

My time has come -my Subaru has given up after 200k with a cracked head. It's in the shop right now, but I see much more issues soon down the road. So..... since my Elio hasn't arrived (yet?), I need to go car shopping.

One of my very top needs is a QUIET car. I spend 90 minutes a day on the highway & I definitely want something quieter than my current car (stock '06 Subaru Impreza 2.5i).

Obviously, I also need a dependable car (who doesn't) with decent highway MPG. While I do absolutely love my all-wheel drive system in my Subaru, I guess I can do without it.

Certified pre-owned is what I'm looking at. Wanting to spend under 20k (wishing for under 10k lol), but I'm looking at 30k and below for the "quiet factor" to apply.

I don't care too much about any other bells & whistles. Problem is, I know all that fancy stuff usually comes with the quiet factor whether you want them or not.

I know the obvious brands are the higher end ones, but I keep hearing about expensive dependability issues with most all of them -especially the German & American ones. I searched back to 2014 & 2016 on this forum at similar posts, and Cadillac & Buick seemed to be mentioned a bit (update?). I usually hear decent talk in general about most all Japanese cars, but not so much when it comes to the quiet factor. And I know the Koreans come with very decent warranties, but I've also heard bad things about their CVT (of course, there is always the manual option).

But right now, before I start my search at the auto malls, I'm completely open to any & ALL suggestions. I'm probably going to start at CarMax, and then work my way to the dealerships. I've already done a lot of research all over online, but I want to see what this group has to say.

So..... anyone here have any personal experience recommendations before I get started??

Obviously look into high-end cars, Mercedes, Acura, etc, but I found that tires can make the world of difference, I had a "loud" car become whisper quiet with some new rubber put on it. Guess you'll just have to spend some seat time at CarMax. Good luck.

 

[RSchneider]

Obviously look into high-end cars, Mercedes, Acura, etc, but I found that tires can make the world of difference, I had a "loud" car become whisper quiet with some new rubber put on it. Guess you'll just have to spend some seat time at CarMax. Good luck.

Tires make a big difference. I agree on German cars. They tend to be really good on the highway and comfortable for long trips (the Germans pride themselves on a car that can go 120 mph on the highway and drive like you are doing 60). For me, the comfort inside the car is what sells me on cars as opposed to the outside look. Another selling point is the fit of the drivers seat. Only way you can tell is to drive various cars and determine what fits you the best. I bought a Golf Alltrack last year but got the SEL literally because of the seats. The cheaper versions were uncomfortable for me. I like the adjustments for lumbar and the side bolster. Plus the seat heaters get hot in a jiffy and will get way too hot when set on high (it's nice to have something that can go too far and you can throttle it back). Plus the car has a water cooled exhaust manifold which gets cabin heat in 5 minutes.

Also, it is not uncommon for tires to start to scallop which makes them noisy and most of the time it's the alignment is out a bit due to the age which causes them to scallop. Right now my Golf is noisy because I have snows on it but when I put the regular tires back on it, it'll be really quiet.

 

[MotorcycleKopp]

I've not really driven many vehicles that I thought had excess noise. So, I'm not sure I can offer much insight. One thing I would say is that Buicks are known to be quiet, and they would also be in your price range for CPO.

That said, I'm not sure how open you are to a Buick...but I think you could at least drive one and use it as a benchmark for noise level at your price point.

Yeah I've read that Buick and several other brands utilize active noise cancellation in the cabin, along with triple sealed doors and windows. Other than that, I'm not too familiar with that brand, but I know it's a GM product. My girlfriend's Chevy Malibu is the biggest POS car I've ever seen in terms of poor quality & non-stop issues -so I'm a bit hesitant to go down that path BUT I also do realize that it's supposed to be a step up from Chevy as well. Just not sure if all the issues would transfer over between the brands or not.

 

[Samalross]

Obviously look into high-end cars, Mercedes, Acura, etc, but I found that tires can make the world of difference, I had a "loud" car become whisper quiet with some new rubber put on it. Guess you'll just have to spend some seat time at CarMax. Good luck.

I have a 15 year old BMW 530i that is extremely quiet and low maintenance. The hi-way mileage is unbelievable but it rides rough on bumpy roads and poor city gas mileage. Love the engine, electronics not so much.

 

[MotorcycleKopp]

Obviously look into high-end cars, Mercedes, Acura, etc, but I found that tires can make the world of difference, I had a "loud" car become whisper quiet with some new rubber put on it. Guess you'll just have to spend some seat time at CarMax. Good luck.

I know some people like car shopping, but I'm not a huge fan. I really can't stand sales people. I believe CarMax salesmen don't work on commission though (I could be wrong), so at least it'll be a little less irritating, hopefully.

Yeah tires definitely make a difference. Unfortunately it doesn't make enough of a difference on my Subaru. My buddy with a newer Subaru even took off all the panels & sprayed that noise dampening stuff behind them & it was still pretty loud. That's the only reason why I'm looking elsewhere this time.

Acura is a brand I haven't looked into yet. I believe that's the step up from Honda, right?

 

[Samalross]

I know some people like car shopping, but I'm not a huge fan. I really can't stand sales people. I believe CarMax salesmen don't work on commission though (I could be wrong), so at least it'll be a little less irritating, hopefully.

Yeah tires definitely make a difference. Unfortunately it doesn't make enough of a difference on my Subaru. My buddy with a newer Subaru even took off all the panels & sprayed that noise dampening stuff behind them & it was still pretty loud. That's the only reason why I'm looking elsewhere this time.

Acura is a brand I haven't looked into yet. I believe that's the step up from Honda, right?

Check ebay, I bought several cars there and have been happy. The ability to see other buyers comments forces the dealers to try to keep the customers happy.

 

[MotorcycleKopp]

Tires make a big difference. I agree on German cars. They tend to be really good on the highway and comfortable for long trips (the Germans pride themselves on a car that can go 120 mph on the highway and drive like you are doing 60). For me, the comfort inside the car is what sells me on cars as opposed to the outside look. Another selling point is the fit of the drivers seat. Only way you can tell is to drive various cars and determine what fits you the best. I bought a Golf Alltrack last year but got the SEL literally because of the seats. The cheaper versions were uncomfortable for me. I like the adjustments for lumbar and the side bolster. Plus the seat heaters get hot in a jiffy and will get way too hot when set on high (it's nice to have something that can go too far and you can throttle it back). Plus the car has a water cooled exhaust manifold which gets cabin heat in 5 minutes.

Also, it is not uncommon for tires to start to scallop which makes them noisy and most of the time it's the alignment is out a bit due to the age which causes them to scallop. Right now my Golf is noisy because I have snows on it but when I put the regular tires back on it, it'll be really quiet.

Seat comfort is definitely another thing too. I've rented some cars that I had to exchange at the next town over because it was so uncomfortable. I've mostly just run into that issue with the El Cheapos though.

 

[RSchneider]

Yeah I've read that Buick and several other brands utilize active noise cancellation

VW did something interesting. They added a Soundaktor for a while because the car was so quiet, customers complained they couldn't hear the engine. Most people ended up turning it off.

Acura is a brand I haven't looked into yet. I believe that's the step up from Honda, right?

It is. Think of it like how Lexus is a step up from a Toyota, Infiniti a step up from Nissan, Genesis a step up from Hyundai and Audi a step up from VW. In the end, Acura is a premium brand.