[Jeff Higgins]

Wow, thanks for all the responses, folks. Boy, I sure hope none of you ever have to go through this. It would probably be easier if these folks were real arseholes about the whole thing. It would be easier if I hated them, they yelled at me, and they otherwise treated me poorly and had for the whole time we have been neighbors. It would sure make it easy to just blow them off. But they are good people. They have never raised their voices over this, never been angry with me, and are completely incapable of confrontation or violence. I think calling the cops is more an act of desperation than vengence, and they probably actually feel bad about it having "come to that". They come accross as a nice old couple pleading with me. "Can't you pleeeease do something about the noise?" (Yeah... I can step on the gas...)

This car was my daily driver for a couple of years. I leave quite early in the morning for work, usually before 5:30. When I drove it every day they never complained. Now that it comes out to play a couple of days a week and on weekends it has become an issue. Their fixation has little to do with the frequency with which they hear it or the actual sound level.

I've put a couple of Harley 2" drag pipe baffles in the outlets of the sport muffler. They work great and cut the noise way down. They only take a minute or two to slip in or out so I thought I had a good solution. Like the old margerine commercial used to say, though, "no differance" as far as they were concerned. I think the fan noise and general mechanical clatter coming from the old girl might be more annoying to them than the exhaust, in which case there really isn't anything to be done. I'm not sure I really want to explore the legality of its noise level either. It's probably over any kind of legal limit. I should check - I am curious, just for my own ammusement. I know a few folks with db meters, so maybe I will do that. Results will be top secret, of course...

Anyway, thanks again for the support. And the laughs - gotta love tab's headline and article.