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

[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.