houtex

I mean, all you hear about in so many circles is 'cheap plastic' and 'the car rattled/squeaked too much for me' and other stuff like that.

And so, sure, the door panels are a big ol' chunk of plastic, but they're good lookin' big ol 'chunks of plastic, overall. Could use a bit better backing on the inserts...

Anyway, for me, the last few days after riding in other cars and hearing THEM squeak, rattle, groan, whatever has made me all of a sudden notice one thing about my lil' pony:

She makes zero noises. Like, at all.

Well, of course, engine noises, exhaust noises, normal stuff. Little bit of transmission gear whirring here and there, nothing out of the ordinary. And of course, when she runs over big bumps or potholes or whathaveyou, yes, there's obviously going to be some sort of noise, as a quite a few hundred pounds get arrested in their jump/dip, but all cars do that unless they're really posh, yeah?

So excepting the obvious harsh bumps of the roads, and normal drivetrain sounds... no squeaks. No rattles. No groans, whines... just name it, she's not makin' 'em.

I honestly thought by now she'd have some, but nosir, 12 years/160K miles, and all tight and firm as when new.

Gotta love that. And I do.

Not sure what I'm doing to keep that happening. Maybe I just got a real lucky build. She's been quite the car. Frankly, overall, the best car I've owned. I don't want to jinx, but truth is truth, is it not?

Love this machine.

For what that musing is worth. Just wanted to say it.

Y'all have a good one!

/and she's gonna leave me stranded tomorrow, isn't she?

wanted33

I agree my friend, my little 97K mile car hasn't exhibited any undue squeaks, or rattles (knock wood). Of course with the lowering springs I also get the harsh bump over the rough surfaces. I'm surprised that with it hitting these surfaces as hard as it does at times the whole car isn't one big rattle.

Bert

I don't know if it is luck or usage . . . but my 2010 has developed quite a few clunks, rattles, groans and squeaks. Some are from the suspension, some are in the interior. I guess it could be my over-sensitive ears, not sure if other people notice them when they ride in the car.

Also could be some impact from my slightly lowered stance, with slightly stiffer springs than stock, maybe the Steeda strut mounts, maybe "installer error" with not getting everything tight, maybe the result of 95,000 miles on the rough New England roads around here. It has been on my to-do list for a long time to get under there and in there and figure out how to eliminate them.

Anyway, glad to hear there are older S197's with more miles that don't have these annoying sounds.

NC14GT

I also am part of the rattle-free ownership club and that's impressive for a convertible. My car is certainly well cared for, garage kept, and mostly babied. It's our vacation car, but still after 11 years, pretty darn impressive. We've been all over North America in all kinds of weather too. Road conditions are not always the best. It's been a wonderful ride!