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+--- Thread: Random thoughts / planning to buy a car (/showthread.php?tid=202325)
Re: Random thoughts / planning to buy a car - N-OS X-tasy! - 03-01-2017
SteveO wrote:
Honda Fit has great stowage, as does HR-V and both are FWD and probably light enough to get around pretty well in snow.
A car that is too light can be a liability in the snow.
SteveO wrote:
I'd suspect Madison has excellent snow removal capability so that may negate some of the need for a "must have AWD" attitude.
I guess you missed the post above from the Wisconsin resident who said he would never consider the purchase of a non-AWD vehicle.
SteveO wrote:
Those Subie Crosstreks are also pretty cool for all this stuff and standard AWD if it's a mandatory.
Too small for the stated purpose. From the reviews I've read, it's also less refined than most of its competition. They do look cool, though.
Re: Random thoughts / planning to buy a car - davester - 03-01-2017
SteveO wrote: Plus consider global warming. It's been 50+ here in KC for most of the damn winter. Been on my bike a lot but normal this aint and it has me concerned for all of us. When I was a kid it was cold and snowy 95% of the winter. I've shoveled once this year...and didn't really need to.
Sorry, but global warming may or may not have any effect on local weather patterns, and it may even have unexpected effects (i.e. harsher winters in some areas. It is also moving (temperature-rise-wise) at an incredibly slow rate when considering the regular temperature swings of a winter season.
Re: Random thoughts / planning to buy a car - tenders - 03-01-2017
I'll submit that the Toyota Sienna version with AWD is fantastic in snow with all-season tires, and it hauls all manner of family stuff and outdoor gear wonderfully whilst affording the driver and riders great comfort.
It has one flaw: 17mpg, less in city driving. And maybe one other flaw: it is a minivan. But we long ago embraced the minivan form factor. A large number of friends with sexier-looking SUVs cannot drive six adults to a ski resort, six kids to the airport, a snow blower and a lawn mower to the in-law's, or haul plywood from Home Depot. I know this because they had to ask me to do this! And they paid for this service with bourbon!
Luxury cars exist because a large portion of the population chooses to define themselves in large part based on the cars they drive. Same reason people live in houses much larger than their needs. Fine for them, but I define myself by what I do, not what I own, and keeping a lid on car and home costs has allowed me and my family to do pretty much whatever the f else we want.
So our cars include a Big One (the Sienna), a Little One (a Mazda3 hatchback), and a Fun One (Miata), which is a girly car belonging to my wife which I only drive when it's dark out and people can't see how much fun I'm having in it. All purchased used and 2-3 years old, with 15-25k miles, and expected to be driven to about 115k miles before being replaced.
Re: Random thoughts / planning to buy a car - OWC Jamie - 03-01-2017
If you are going to work and play in the city then just about any car with bald tires will get you around.
If you plan on living out in the boonies and commuting and especially commuting when they recommend staying off the roads until they are clear in Winter then you will need 4wd/awd and good tires.
After that you need a car that will serve the function(s) that you will require of it. No sense buying a sedan if you are constantly going to be in need of a suv or minivan additionalfunctionality beyond transporting bodies that sit on seats.
Re: Random thoughts / planning to buy a car - Speedy - 03-01-2017
What billb said! I live in a city similar to Madison. Flat and winter is different than hilly and winter. Madison is flat country. I have lived in Minnesota all my life and never owned anything but two wheel drive vehicles. Rear wheel drive meant occasionally getting stuck but I have never been stuck with front wheel drive. And I never use snow tires. Buy what you like and don't worry about winter because you'll hunker down on the few bad weather days. Save four wheel drive for your snowblower (like I did)!
Love our Chevy Volt!
Re: Random thoughts / planning to buy a car - C(-)ris - 03-01-2017
Speedy wrote:
What billb said! I live in a city similar to Madison. Flat and winter is different than hilly and winter. Madison is flat country. I have lived in Minnesota all my life and never owned anything but two wheel drive vehicles. Rear wheel drive meant occasionally getting stuck but I have never been stuck with front wheel drive. And I never use snow tires. Buy what you like and don't worry about winter because you'll hunker down on the few bad weather days. Save four wheel drive for your snowblower (like I did)!
Love our Chevy Volt!
It depends on what you do. When it snows here during the work day and plows go by there are ALWAYS a dozen people on the block behind the building who can't get their Civic/Volt/any low to the ground FWD car out of their street parking spot. They have to shovel out their car. I just drive right out. Again, it really depends on how and where you are going. If you park in a ramp and have a garage at home FWD is pretty safe except for a handful of days. You will either need to shovel your driveway or use a snow blower to get over the mound at the bottom from the plow though. The Vibe is too low to get over the snow plow mounds, but the Forester can drive right over them with ease. When you are rushing to get out the door in the morning and don't have time to shovel an AWD SUV is worth its weight in gold just for the convienece and peace of mind.
The number of coworkers who call in to be a few hours late because they can't get out every time it snows 6" is anoying to say the least.
Re: Random thoughts / planning to buy a car - Robert M - 03-01-2017
Speedy,
I agree that Mattkime and wife should pick the vehicle they feel is most suitable for them. However, I definitely disagree about your comment about 4WD/AWD and your statement that says "hunker down on the few bad weather days". I've owned vehicles that have RWD, FWD, 4WD and AWD. I've dealt with snow in each vehicle. As long as I'm in an area that is subject to snow, I'll own a vehicle with 4WD or AWD. No doubt about it. 4WD/AWD make all the difference in snow.
That and while it's easy to say people can hunker down and on the bad weather day, in reality, many people don't have the luxury of doing it. Long Island recently had a short but nasty storm that shutdown the entire area for a day. The only reason my wife was able to stay home was because she used one of her personal days. If she was out of personal days and vacation time, she would have had no choice but get behind the wheel and drive 60+ minutes each way in the storm.
Robert
Re: Random thoughts / planning to buy a car - gabester - 03-01-2017
Robert M wrote:
If she was out of personal days and vacation time, she would have had no choice but get behind the wheel and drive 60+ minutes each way in the storm.
No option to take unpaid time or go negative on that time balance, or a remote work policy? Harsh!
Re: Random thoughts / planning to buy a car - Robert M - 03-01-2017
Gabester,
Nopes. I would never do this to my employees. If weather conditions dictate that it's unsafe to drive, then I make sure my employees know they can take the day off without penalties of any kind. No need to use vacation days or personal days or unpaid time or go negative. There is a time and place to have harsh policies and getting into the office when facing dangerous weather conditions is definitely not one of them.
Robert
Re: Random thoughts / planning to buy a car - jdc - 03-01-2017
How about a place that only needs one wheel drive....
