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

[benign-cremator.livejournal.com]

> But besides the "image" problem, how is the handling on those things?

What image problem? The mid-sized Subarus (the Legacy, Outback, Forester, and Impreza) were all designed to race well in road rallies, and also be good highway cars. Only Mitsubishi's are better in rallies, but they are not as good every-day consumer cars (IMO).

And I like the handling on them. Right balance of being able to feel the road (so you can respond to it and drive better), and also dampening road vibration so it does not break you down. It have driven my Legacy for up to 16-hour stretches, and gotten out without much adverse effects. My Tercel would cause my knees to ache in just under 2 hours. And the Legacy was not as prone to sliding or hydroplaning the way my Pontiac 6000 and Tercel were. Take that as you will, since the Subaru's are not what the original poster asked for (something that causes you to not feel the road at all, which adversely effects one's driving, IMO).

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

Was referring more to the Outback as not liking the style, not the smaller Legacy, and certainly not the Impreza ( actually wondering if the WRX was too small and sporty for our roads ).

Was thinking more along the lines of cornering and low-end torque. Don't know if its the cars or the drivers, but I always find myself stuck behind either a Subaru crossover or a Volvo wagon, and they seem to just sit there at green lights and take corners gingerly. On the other hand, I've never been stuck behind a Honda, Acura, Mitsubishi, or BMW.

Isn't hydroplaning more a function of the tires? But I have been curious about the larger AWD Subarus for their perfomance in snow. Even if I don't find them sexy, they may have there advantages in foul weather. There's nothing sexy about driving a sports coupe through a night blizzard on Route 2.

[dreda.livejournal.com]

Hell, my little '96 Impreza is still one of the best things I've ever driven in snow. (I started driving Subarus when I lived in the middle of NH, where every fourth car was a Subaru wagon.) Corners beautifully, too.