[prismatic]

You know the one. The car just "feels" new with how it handles...

Would replacing the springs and shocks bring that back?

 

[rugerman]

I think you have to buy a new car for that

 

[egiroux]

There's alot of pieces flexing and wearing out every time you hit a bump. Changing all of them is unrealistic. I think the goal with an older car is nothing flopping around in the suspension. New struts will help. Fixing bad balljoints and steering links will help. Bushings will help too. New car-not exactly.

 

[rudedog]

There's alot of pieces flexing and wearing out every time you hit a bump. Changing all of them is unrealistic. I think the goal with an older car is nothing flopping around in the suspension. New struts will help. Fixing bad balljoints and steering links will help. Bushings will help too. New car-not exactly.

why is it unrealistic, I've done it, so have MANY others.

 

[lcplpunk]

Why not have the 'upgraded' new car feeling? Swap in a larger sway bar, replace motor mounts (if bad), new f/r endlinks, subrame bushings, springs, shocks, and whatever else you can think of and you should have a 'new' feeling car.

 

[egiroux]

I didn't say impossible. The new car feel comes from everything fitting together tightly, not just the primary suspension components. The seat cushions being blown out after years of use and sun come to mind. The foam placed between things to keep them from rattling deteriorates, the door seals don't have the elasticity they once did, etc. All of these little things do affect the feel of the car. I'm not saying it can't be done, but you end up spending more time working on it than driving it.

 

[sable23]

i have just about done it on my sabe avery part is new except one ball joint (being replaced monday) and the lower control arms in the front, in the rear i replaced the struts, springs, and mounts not much left and should be done this fall. after the ball joint it should feel better than new. lots of upgraded parts...

 

[austex04]

Mine needs new front struts. I'm going to replace them with Gabrial ready-mount struts (they come loaded with new springs), as well as the plastic sway bar end links with new metal ones. That should bring mine back to like-new ride, but my car has 108k miles. I noticed mine is starting to get some ply in the cv joints, but they're still good for a while-no clicks or noise, just a little more ply. I'm not going to replace them til they need it, though. If I wanted a new car feeling, I'll go to the Mazda dealer and buy one. I've owned this car since '07, it had 25k when I bought it. Everything except the brake master cylinder is original, even the brakes all around. I did a tune up, fuel filter, and all the maint on time.

 

[sfblacksel]

Depends on how you interpret how a new car should handle. Some new cars have very soft suspensions, others have very firm suspensions. I bought a Mercedes C300 five months ago and I still am not used to how firm the suspension is compared to the Taurus. After driving my 03' Taurus for seven years and putting on 88,000 miles on the original suspension, I am used to that. Many days I try to drive the Taurus, rather than the Mercedes as it is simply much more comfortable and relaxing to drive.

Probably new struts would make a huge difference and possibly a few bushings. Keep in mind that you can easily put in much more money than the car is worth and if the car is in a bad accident, you will never get your money back out of it. Sometimes it is better to just move on to a new car, but keep the bull if you can for times you want a smooth ride.

 

[TrueBlue]

Many days I try to drive the Taurus, rather than the Mercedes as it is simply much more comfortable and relaxing to drive.

Now that's saying something!

 

[egiroux]

Depends on how you interpret how a new car should handle... Many days I try to drive the Taurus, rather than the Mercedes as it is simply much more comfortable and relaxing to drive... keep the bull if you can for times you want a smooth ride.

Keep in mind that you can easily put in much more money than the car is worth and ... you will never get your money back out of it. .

Mine has 105K, and one new balljoint. It's more comfortable than my other, newer cars. If you hit really rough pavement the rear bushings sound like they are due soon, but not yet. I inspected everything to make sure it's safe, but I don't think it's a good use of money or time to replace all the wear items in the suspension.

 

[toronut]

My 2001 SEL has new car ride. It cost me a few thousand dollars over the last 3 years. I have ranted about Stealerships a lot but my car is all Motorcraft suspension and I bit the bullet to pay for it! There is no easy way out. Owning any vehicle is a bottomless pit for your paycheck but try living without one!

 

[the_intimidator_02]

I replace any suspension component when I notice it needs it. I've done the sub-frame bushing upgrade(aluminum) when the original front ones seperated, four new shocks, four new mounts and springs, front control arm bushings, sway bar endlinks all around, sway bar mount bushings all round, and ball joints. The car is stiffer and has a better feel of the road then it's ever had. My step-father even noticed the difference from when he owned the car, when he borrowed it for a day.

Keep in mind this is over a four year period.