Berked hearing: Quiet, Cheap Daily?

I completely Berkleyed my hearing while polishing my MGB with the Makita rotary. (Yes, stupidly no ear plugs). Constant, bad tinnitus means that both the Miata and the Cherokee are loud enough that my ears are getting no chance to recover.

Looking for a quiet, cheap ($3k) daily. Ideally I'd like a 5 speed, 2 doors, RWD and a quiet interior. So in other words, I want a fifth-hand E36 325is. But, I'm not not convinced a guy who's paying alimony should be trying out German car ownership for the first time.

Thoughts? Alternatives?

ls400 super quiet, cheap, reliable as an anvil

Earplugs.

pres589 wrote: Earplugs.

I've been driving with earplugs. Unfortunately they don't stop enough sound. There's plenty of low frequency sound that goes straight through them.

3800 Buick Riviera or 3800 Monte Carlo are not rwd 5 speed but hit your other wants and budget very well.

I read an article in Car and Driver a while back that suggested using noise-canceling headphones which have come down significantly in price: http://www.caranddriver.com/columns/tires-like-children-should-be-seen-and-not-heard

Consider adding some (vinyl) weatherstripping foam tape around the doors. If this still isn't enough and if you're willing to do some work, consider adding sound deadening material. It's fairly inexpensive but can very in difficulty and effectiveness from car to car depending on where the noise originates from.

V6 Camaro or Firebird. V8s would obviously be louder but could they be made quiet? Not sure about V6s w/ manuals as I'm not up on these cars.

carbon wrote: ls400 super quiet, cheap, reliable as an anvil

That would probably be the first car I'd look at if I wanted a really quiet car. Most of the other ones I can think of that I know are quiet are either German or English and can do horrible things to your wallet (Mercedes W124 or W126, Audi A8, Jaguar XJ although these can suffer badly from wind noise).

I'd look at a Lexus also. I think the SC300 and SC400 had manual transmissions.
A bit older but the old Nissan 300zx may be an option. Always liked those. Toyota Supra too.

The BMW's engines were a bit boomy sounding with lots of bass. They annoyed me after a while. YMMV.

Even sans mufflers my Mark VII is pretty quiet inside. There's a faint drone but you don't get to really enjoy it unless the window is down.

I imagine with O.E. mufflers in place it would be nearly silent. They can be had quite cheaply and usually don't suffer the ham-fisted ownership as a Mustang of the same vintage. A 5-speed swap is only as far away as the nearest junkyard.

Noise cancelling headphones sounds like the best solution to me. Cheaper than a car and you can use them in any car. If you buy them and it's not enough, you can buy the quiet car and then use them in the quiet car for double quiet.

how about the Lincoln LS?

amg_rx7 wrote: I'd look at a Lexus also. I think the SC300 and SC400 had manual transmissions. A bit older but the old Nissan 300zx may be an option. Always liked those. Toyota Supra too. The BMW's engines were a bit boomy sounding with lots of bass. They annoyed me after a while. YMMV.

The sc300 is the only one with a 5-speed option. People do swap supra 5-speeds on the sc400s so maybe you could pick up a swapped one?

LuxInterior wrote: But, I'm not not convinced a guy who's paying alimony should be trying out German car ownership for the first time. Thoughts? Alternatives?

Stop paying alimony? (you asked for alternatives)

I have used noise cancelling headphones and they are amazing. I was walking down the noisy hall in college with them on, and flipped the switch. All of the sudden, not only did the ambient noise go away, but the rustling of my clothes, the footsteps, and everything else was GONE. I could only hear the wind whispering about my sinuses as I walked on.

Super effective, BUT I can't imagine you'd make ambulance drivers, firetruck drivers, or police officers very happy. I would guess something like that would be unsafe.

Have a set of the Bose noise cancelling headphones that I use when flying. Amazing technology. Should be handed out to parents in the delivery room.

W-body GM product.

Cheap, roomy(ish). There are some days I am unsure as to whether or not the car is actually running. Definitely much quieter than even the Town Car.

tuna55 wrote: I have used noise cancelling headphones and they are amazing. I was walking down the noisy hall in college with them on, and flipped the switch. All of the sudden, not only did the ambient noise go away, but the rustling of my clothes, the footsteps, and everything else was GONE. I could only hear the wind whispering about my sinuses as I walked on. Super effective, BUT I can't imagine you'd make ambulance drivers, firetruck drivers, or police officers very happy. I would guess something like that would be unsafe.

I think it is actually illegal to wear any kind of headphones while driving, though that may vary from state to state.

Seems I recall some car manufacturers were working on noise-canceling devices in cars, but don't remember where that went to. Of course, BMW has worked to get the engine noise back in the cabin through various means. Seems also I recall some test drives of cars that had completely fake engine noises pumped into the cabin.

Yeah, think it's illegal in VA to wear any sort of headphones while driving. My brother just picked up a pretty beat SC300 5 speed. The wind noise would probably be nothing if it wasn't for some air that whistles from up by the sunroof (doesn't leak any but you can hear the air moving).

I paid 2300 for my '95 540i its was very quiet Paid roughly that same amount for my '01 Saab 9-5 and it too is very quiet.

I have tinnitus in my left ear very badly, rings loudly all day, everyday

panther with a manaul swap

http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?34365-5-speed-swap-info