Which Model Year Are The Quietest?

[iamgine]

First post here..please be lenient :chairshot:

I am on the highway a lot and I am thinking of buying Lexus because it is said to be the quietest car around. I have my eyes set on the ES300/330. I wanted to buy the LS430 but it is too big and long I feel it's going to be hard to find parking spots (besides, it gets terrible mpg). So, which model year do you think provide the quietest ride out of all the models? Quietness is a very important feature to me because I want to be able to hear my music uninterrupted by road/wind noise. Or perhaps suggest me another model?

Thanks.

[blk_on_blk]

Ah, now that's a loaded question because so much of 'quietness' comes from tires (and roadway). If you are talking about engine noise and vibrations, well the ES is quiet as a mouse. They are as smooth and quiet as they come, but if you get some noisy tires, you'll hear it. The bigger the diameter the tire, the lower the profile of the tire, and predominantly the louder/more-noisy they will be. Also, wider tires tend to be more noisy.

In regards to which year is the quietest, it all depends on the condition of the vehicle. Mine is a 1995, and it's whisper quiet on new roadway with the sunroof closed... it's almost like the car is turned off and floating at 65 mph down the interstate. But I can hear road howl on older pavement, but then I'm rolling on 18" wheels/tires. I'm quite sure other years are comparable. You can always check Edmunds.com... they should have interior cabin noise ratings on their specifications page for each year and model.

Here's a link on the question of quietness and how tires apply. http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=258554