Originally Posted By: glock19
Originally Posted By: slowdime
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
A lot of the squeaks and rattles could probably be reduced by a judicious tightening of fastners and relacement of broken or weak plastic trim attachment bits.
The most cost effective improvement you can make with any car is a set of better tires.
The Michelin Defender you mention would not be my first choice for any car.
Too costly for what you get, IMHO.
Do a little research and find a tire noted for good compliance and quietness. Shop around, since tires are always on a deal in some desirable brand and model somewhere.
If you're going to be driving this beast for at least another couple of years, a set of better tires would be well worth the expense.
Don't underestimate how much a good set of tires can do to transform a sow's ear of a car.
At $100 a tire they're certainly on the pricey side. I found a list of the top 10 quietest tires, not sure how accurate the list is but defenders were on there. I'll look at some other one's and see what fits the budget. Tires would cost quite a bit more than the suspension since I'll be doing the work myself on the front end, but tires are the only point of contact a car has with the road so good ones are never a bad investment. It's a shame the new tires the previous owner put on are [censored], but I suppose he was planning on selling it anyway so I can't blame him.
According to TireRack the General RT43 is quieter and cheaper (in your size $60 vs $100 per tire) than the Michelin Defender. Might be worth considering as an option.
Link to comparison on TireRack
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