Getting a Car?

[mikeman591]

Quick question: In all likelihood, I'll be moving to a school up north when I've lived in the sunshine state all my life. I have a fairly new sedan (<2 years old) and am wondering if I should trade it in for a used SUV for the snow/ice driving up north. I've never had to deal with that before and my car right now only has FWD. Thoughts?

[rising_star]

It really depends on where up north. My sister lives in Chicago and has the same 2-door sedan there that she had when she lived in a sunny, warm place out west. I have friends that live in Maine and drive things like a Nissan Versa. Other friends, however, live in places up north where roads aren't maintained as well and swear by all wheel drive. It's a matter of your comfort, road maintenance, and how often you'd really be driving. You can definitely survive in lots of places up north with FWD, provided you have good tires (snow tires or all season are highly recommended) which you keep inflated. You might also have to add some sandbags to the back of your car in the winter, depending on how snowy or icy it gets (I have friends that do this, one of whom drives a Honda Fit). Hope this helps!

[TakeruK]

I drove a old sedan (2002) in snowy Eastern Canada for a couple of years. I'd recommend getting snow tires on them (all-weather tires are good for rain but not snow). There are plenty of non-SUVs in winter conditions so I don't think there's any need to change to a SUV!

 

However, you'll have to take extra steps to protect your vehicle. For example, getting an anti-rust spray on the undercarriage is a good idea (snowy roads get salted and then when you drive over them, salted ice is kicked up into your car and makes it susceptible to rust!)

[mikeman591]

Thank you! I'm really, really clueless when it comes to driving/car maintenance in any sort of snow/icy condition

[shadowclaw]

I agree that it depends on where exactly you end up and how well roads are maintained. I live in a mountainous area of the northeast, so I get a fair amount of snow dumped on me each year. The interstates here are well maintained (and my school is just off the interstate), but the 10 mile drive to the interstate is horrendous when it snows because it's a rural area and the two snow plows take forever. In the valley on the other side of my mountain where it's pretty urban (and plows are in high supply), the roads are pretty good.

That said, I drive an older FWD car (Pontiac G5) and don't have too much trouble. There are days when I can't make it, but generally speaking, school is closed on those days. My husband also drives a RWD Mustang with some sand bags in the trunk, and while he has significantly more trouble than I do, he still makes it to work. If we bothered to buy snow tires, our travel would probably be easier. But alas, we can't afford such things.

Sandbags are also only useful with RWD vehicles, so I wouldn't invest in sand unless you want to have it to put on the ground to help with traction.

[ERR_Alpha]

I've lived in the northeast my whole life and my 2009 Corolla has been fine every winter. Granted- I don't drive when I don't have to, I don't live anywhere with lake effect snow, and I have some pretty expensive snow tires.

Your first winter is likely going to be rough driving. It's a learning curve. Learning how your car handles in snow and ice is ...interesting. Once I mastered it I was fine, as my dad says, it's the other idiots on the road you have to watch out for. My car made it home 15 miles with six inches of snow on the ground and more falling. It wasnt enjoyable by any means, but it was doable.

Granted, if I had unlimited money, I would get myself a RAV4 in a heart beat. I hate being stuck inside when it's snowing. But for financial purposes, little cars make sense. Especially for long trips home. (The gas mileage makes up for the winter performance in my mind)

[Vene]

I've lived in the north my whole live (midwest and now New England) and have drove both sedans and a SUV. 4WD is nice, I won't deny it, but I've seen a lot of people do stupid shit with it and wind up in a ditch. I also rarely used it because of the drain on my gas mileage. Regardless, if you are going to live in a rural area outside of a city it may not be the worst idea (although AWD crossovers can be nice).

 

But, for a city, FWD is plenty. You are much less likely to fishtail compared to a RWD car and with decent tires you should be able to control the car in all but the worst conditions. I've driven them in snowstorms in the Minneapolis area and would go with them over a gas-guzzling SUV.

 

What you'll really want for winter driving is good tires. And you are going to need to buy a set of winter tires if you're moving from the south as I'm sure you don't already have them. Otherwise, it's technique. You drive slower and allow more distance between you and the car in front of you. When you try to take off from a full stop and you start to spin (it will happen), you don't try to go faster. Instead, you stop and very gently depress the accelerator, downshifting can help.

 

Also, I've always found that I'd rather drive my car on ice than I would on snow. But, I'd rather walk in snow than on ice. The car gets stuck in the snow or worse is dragged off the road. But, on foot, it provides so much more traction.