Large cars

[adrive7]

I'll echo the Buick vote. My dad drives a LeSabre Custom with the 3.8L V6 and says he gets in the high 20s on the highway. It's a very comfortable ride, and plenty of power when you need to get moving, even with a loaded car.

[taco]

i beat the hell out of my camry and get 27-30sh on average, no hypermiling what so ever.
the avalon is a wider camry.

but i am bias. i am also six three 250lbs and fit comfortable in my car.

[fud2468]

Thanks again to all.
I don't need a lot more room inside as much as I want to have a much quieter ride. I do not want a softer ride if it's at the expense of good handling.
The Stratus would be OK for longer trips otherwise, seats are OK, holds the road well, etc.
I appreciate all your suggestions.
Ray Mac

[mavinwy]

If you are happy with all of the other aspects of the stratus other than the noise level, you would be much cheaper going to a good car audio installation shop and having them put sound deadening in. (or you can do it yourself). There is a type that comes as rolled sheets and can be put under the carpeting and behind the door panels, and the change is significant.

One other one that makes a big difference on our intrepid and neon noise level (cab forward like the stratus) is the type of tire. When we put the winter tires on, the cab volume goes up a LOT. The touring tires we run in the summer are extrememy quiet. So if you have all season tires on the car, you might consider a change to a touring tire.

Jim

[fud2468]

Interesting that you brought this up, Jim.
I woke up at 3 this morning, got up and began to look through old Consumer Reports mags that I've kept. I looked for specs of cars in the 1996 New Car Yearbook that I still have.
A couple of things:
Unless I go to a much larger and heavier car, I won't gain much more interior room or trunk space than the Stratus has.
The other surprise was in the comparison of the Stratus with its twin, the Chrysler Cirrus. The Stratus they tested had the 2.4 I4 like mine, and the Cirrus had the 2.5 V6.
Stratus and Cirrus both rated at EPA 29mpg highway.
However,
Stratus was 60 lb. lighter, yet got less mpg.
Cirrus observed mpg was 14/38.
Stratus was 12/36.
Extra weight of Cirrus may be at least partly due to sound insulation, which takes us back to your post, great suggestion!
Mystery is on the FE of the two. I'd guess that the V6, though a little bigger displacement, is a more efficient engine and/or the final drive ratio on the Cirrus is taller.
Noise level on the Cirrus was rated above average, Stratus was rated average.
Ray Mac

[Z man]

My grandma's over priced Mercedes broke down for the umteenth time and she got a 2005 Avalon to drive until it was fixed, well,

she said the Avalon was a much better car and wished she bought one instead.

[mavinwy]

No problem, and it is certain to be less $$$ than a new car.

The other reason, if I remember correctly, for the difference in MPG was the gear ratio of the transmissions. The 2.4 generally had a numerically higher gear ratio to account for the smaller motor moving a relatively heavy car. The 2.4 was originally designed for the neon after all <grin>.

One other MPG gain I have seen on my old neon, if you decide to keep this car, was an underdrive pulley. It reduces the load from the power steering, AC and alternator by effectively spinning them slower. The only downside to this is if you idle for long periods of time with all the lights, etc on. In which case the battery could run down. It is not generally an issue on highway or normal in town driving. I currently have one on order for the current neon (took me a bit to find one for a first generation).

The other advantage to keeping the car is that you know the history of this vehicle. That can often be priceless.

Jim

[mavinwy]

Oh yeah....and that you woke up at 3:00 thinking about this probably belongs in the "you might be an eco-modder if....) thread

Jim

[fud2468]

Thanks again.
I see I wasn't precise about noise level. I meant to say the Cirrus was quieter.
Re the 2.4, 3rd gen Caravans had a base 2.4 engine, not sure if it's the same as the Stratus engine. It must really have to scream.
At the local senior center today I noticed several Le Sabres parked and I was eyeballing them.
The jury is still out, I will continue to research.
Ray Mac.

[RH77]

If you don't want to sacrifice handling, then the 95% of the Buicks are out. The last gen Regal GS has a tighter suspension, but only comes with the 3.8L (some were supercharged).

If you're satisfied with the space of the Stratus, then maybe we're heading in the wrong direction with the "Large Car" segment -- maybe "Mid-Size" is the way to go (opens up a few more options)...

I searched around 1995-2002/Midsize and came up with...
(not a whole lot of Domestics that aren't "mushy")

A few Imports:
Acura TL (1998 and earlier avoids the transmission trouble) More luxury, so-so FE with smaller 2.5L, good handling
Volvo 850/S70 5-cylinder (turbo option), bank-vault safety, OK FE, luxury with good handling
Toyota Avalon As mentioned, a nice big car with Toyota reliability and reasonable FE -- good handling for its size, quiet

Notes: the Lexus (Toyota) brand tends to favor soft rides unless you get the GS300; Infiniti (Nissan) has some options -- but check reliability and ride quality.

RH77