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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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
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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
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How about a place that only needs one wheel drive....
