Best cars for Davis-area roads?

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

My car is approaching end-of-life, and I'm wondering if there's a car made that actually feels comfortable to drive on the roads around here. I'm getting a -very- harsh ride on the roads in and out of Davis and its a little embarassing when picking somebody up to visit. Trying to avoid that with the next car.

The OB-Davis content: We all drive on the same unevenly patched roads in and out of Davis, so when somebody says they can drive Mass Ave or Boston Ave and not feel a thing, that's a strong recommendation.

Comments

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

If your old car has beat-up shocks, almost anything new will be better. Your best bet, IMHO, is to test drive a few other cars. Just walk in and say "my car has a terrible ride I want something with decent shocks. I'm not going to buy today, but I want to test a few out this week and then come back next month and buy something."

Obviously avoid anything over-sporty, because sporty to some is jarring to others. But nobody knows your reaction like you do.

Be prepared for them to sell you on the fact that the sales tax will go up on 8/1. Tell them that being rushed into a purchase you regret is no bargain at all.

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

Shocks and ball joints seem to need replacement (or just blow in the case of shocks) at regular intervals. Maybe 60-80K when you drive around here. It may also be the double-wishbone suspension which is great on the highways but just a little too responsive on the local roads. A big issue is those little beads of tar they use to fill a linear crack in the road. They might not be much of an obstacle but I feel them big time.

Another issue may be the tires. Id gotten some high-performance tires which gave me great braking and handling on rain-soaked highways, but something about them makes you feel like the road is bumpy even when its not really bumpy.

But you know I really like that suggestion of a test drive on the roads around here. When in another city I had a number of rental cars and while all new, the ride was very different on each. And I'm assuming there's a reason why there's so few sporty cars on Boston roads.