aja8888
Moderator Emeritus
I'm a driving machine at 76 years old. Two big trips in 2019 with me (only) driving. One round trip (DW and I) - Wisconsin - Texas @ 3,300 miles and one round trip (solo) - Texas - Connecticut @ 4,300 miles.
Once or twice a year I will drive the round trip from the Bay Area to Phoenix. 11.5 to 12 hours each way with gas stops and bathroom breaks. I find the Lexus RX to be the the most comfortable vehicle for that trip by far. Quieter, softer seats, and better ride. The Honda wins on mileage by far, but a more comfortable trip is worth the extra gas money.
I'm a driving machine at 76 years old. Two big trips in 2019 with me (only) driving. One round trip (DW and I) - Wisconsin - Texas @ 3,300 miles and one round trip (solo) - Texas - Connecticut @ 4,300 miles.
My two RV treks to Nova Scotia and to Alaska were around 12,000 miles each. However, they were each close to 2 months long.
I used to have a 2007 Subaru Impreza...very loud on the highway. 2800 rpm at 70 mph doesn't help.
I try to limit driving after 10pm, otherwise everything is the same. I love to drive in general.
We have a 2010 Legacy with 130k. I like the Legacy because it is a sedan, which I find quieter and more stable riding than SUVs of any type. However, the AWD drivetrain in Subbies will induce extra unwanted feedback to the body and driver, and I suspect you are getting some of that.My current car is a 2015 Subaru Legacy with just over 120K miles;
Absolutely. It is cheesy. I agree with you.I drive a Subaru Legacy for my work sometimes, and am appalled at the sound of the door when I close it....
Like OP, not sure I want to spend more money, but that's a good point.At 120K miles you may be due for a new set of shocks. That could alleviate the floaty feeling.
It doesn't seem like wind or air leak noise, more like tires or exhaust. Though, the car passed both state inspection and a dealer check-up in September.
We've only owned one luxury-brand vehicle, a Volvo, but I'm thinking that is the kind of vehicle I might need for a quieter, more comfortable ride.
Has anyone else had a sudden change in attitude towards driving at retirement?
Both road noise and ride quality (too soft/floaty) were issues, and I ended up limiting my speed to about 70 mph. The only vehicles I passed were box trucks and boat trailers.
My current car is a 2015 Subaru Legacy with just over 120K miles; the tires have about 40K, and look like they could go another 20-25K.
As others have mentioned, it may just be your tires. I replaced all the struts, shocks, ball joints, and suspension bushings in my 2000 Jetta and it still wanders. Tie rods and steering rack are good. I'm pretty sure it's the Cooper CS3 tires as my wife has a 2004 Jetta with Michelin's and hers drives fine.
Still, suspension parts are just maintenance items, and it's probably time to replace them if you haven't done it in a while. As long as you still enjoy the car, I'm a big believer in repairing over replacing.
That said, some problems are a mystery. My Jetta has a bad droning noise inside the cabin when the engine is around 3800 RPM. This occurs around 75mph when I'm out on the highway, so I tend to stay under 75 to avoid the droning noise. I've replaced all the engine mounts but no change. I'm suspecting a partially clogged exhaust, since my catalytic converter was empty when I replaced it. But I don't have any noises or other problems at lower or higher engine speeds. It's annoying but I've learned to avoid that narrow RPM range so I haven't been motivated to pursue it further.
HadEnuff said:I have a more comfortable car now, a Highlander, but I still try to limit my day's driving to no more than 7 or 8 hours, with a stop every hour to 90 minutes.
Has anyone else had a sudden change in attitude towards driving at retirement?
I think driver's ed is OK.Seems to us like the other drivers are getting so much worse than they used to be, too! Apparently Driver's Ed has become more lax in the past half century or so. Or maybe we are turning into sour old people who think younger people should learn to behave better ("Get off my lawn!").