"" (bignslow)
11/09/2013 at 20:43 • Filed to: winter beater
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37|
"" (bignslow)
11/09/2013 at 20:43 • Filed to: winter beater | 0
| 37 |
With winter quickly approaching I thought it would be interesting to find out what Jalops think is a best car to use in the winter months.
I am not talking about Californians or Floridians who can drive their Miata's year around with a top down. This is for those of us who will get to see snow for the next 4-5 months with temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
It will be snowy, it will be salty and it will suck to do any car repairs outside in the cold without a garage.
So, is there a car that can stand up to a task of lasting 6 months on one oil change, be reliable and good in the snow? Also, being a beater means spending about $3000.
dogisbadob
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11/09/2013 at 20:47 |
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The best car to use is, wait for it, your car! So my answer is a 1996 Lexus ES300. Because it's what I already have.
I don't see the logic behind buying a separate car for winter. There is nothing wrong with using any car year-round. Why not just buy winter tires?
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> dogisbadob
11/09/2013 at 20:51 |
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Perhaps because people have nice cars that they plan to keep for a while and don't want to rot out after 2 years?
Milky
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11/09/2013 at 20:52 |
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I'll never stop posting this, SC400. It was a great car.
potato pics out in the snow
desertdog5051
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11/09/2013 at 20:54 |
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Wait a minute, I always thought "The answer was always Miata"
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> desertdog5051
11/09/2013 at 20:55 |
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It is. This is a trick question.
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dogisbadob
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11/09/2013 at 21:11 |
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Wrong answer :)
If I had an awesome exotic sports car it would be driven all year! Whether it was a Mondial, an Elise, an Esprit S4, an Espada, a Fiat Dino, a 914, a 911/912, a Koenigsegg, an LFA, or any of that shit, I'd get some snow tires and have fun! And yes, I'd even open the sunroof or take the top off at times.
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dogisbadob
> Milky
11/09/2013 at 21:12 |
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That car is awesome.
A3R0
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11/09/2013 at 21:15 |
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e30 ix because 4 wheel drive!
zadtheinhaler
> dogisbadob
11/09/2013 at 21:18 |
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I think his point is that many states have heavy salting on the roads during the winter, which gives vehicle frames the Big C. The topic of winter beaters has even been addressed by the editorial staff at road & Track and Car & Driver- David E. Davis (sic) had a great piece on the subject ~10 years ago. If I had the cheddar for Cancer bait, I'd totally do it.
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zadtheinhaler
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11/09/2013 at 21:19 |
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Volvos of many stripes (although I'd lean toward wagons, because emergency supplies) and small pickups with a few hundred pounds of snow and ice in the pickup bed.
lucky's pepper
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11/09/2013 at 21:20 |
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Easy answer: Buy any cheap econo shit-box that's in decent shape with a manual trans that leaves you enough money for a set of snow tires (for the money your talking about I'd go Japanese). Then drive it to within an inch of it's life.
I've always been a big proponent of winter beaters.
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dogisbadob
> zadtheinhaler
11/09/2013 at 21:23 |
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I just think that driving a supercar like a regular car is all kinds of awesome.
Kinja told me I got 20 notifications, but your reply was the only one. Strange!
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zadtheinhaler
> dogisbadob
11/09/2013 at 21:29 |
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While I do see your point,
>Whether it was a Mondial, an Elise, an Esprit S4, an Espada, a Fiat Dino, a 914, a 911/912, a Koenigsegg, an LFA...
Out of all the cars listed only the LFA and the Koenigsegg wouldn't turn into red flakes.
That'd be a fair bit of money either in vehicle replacement or repair, on top of regular purchase and maintenance.
Meanwhile, buy an old goat-mobile for the winter months, and your Dino will be waiting patiently for you in the spring.
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Milky
> dogisbadob
11/09/2013 at 21:36 |
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That car was awesome. But thanks, she was fun and cheap.
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dogisbadob
> zadtheinhaler
11/09/2013 at 21:39 |
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Hey now, the Elise has a Toyota engine :p
Yeah fine, I can see people not wanting to do any real damage, and see where you're coming from, but it just seems so cruel to imprison such cool cars in a garage.
m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
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11/09/2013 at 22:57 |
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Old Subaru?
911e46z06
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11/09/2013 at 22:57 |
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Donko all day.
wbizarre - OEM fetishist
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11/09/2013 at 23:15 |
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That Volga you have in your picture there is pretty good. Just dig 'er out and enjoy.
TheD0k_2many toys 2little time
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11/09/2013 at 23:54 |
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I drive an 01 escort zx2. goes through snow well, runs good and only cost me $400.
Also stands out with its yellow bumper on a black car
joemcm
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11/10/2013 at 01:01 |
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My first (and current car) is a 1999 Civic EX Coupe we got for $4500 in 2010, so you could get one real cheap now, and it's about the most mechanically simple and sound car I've heard of. ABS was an option that year on the EX, so try to find one that has it. Mine doesn't. We got ice my first winter of driving. That was an eventful winter.
MouseFitzgerald
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11/10/2013 at 01:07 |
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Picked this up for a little under $300 for the winter. 4x4 and all!
LeadfootYT
> dogisbadob
11/10/2013 at 01:08 |
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As if we all lived somewhere where the roads were unsalted, we all would. However, there is such a thing as "rust," and on complex vehicles or vintage vehicles, winter storage is not a preference - it's the ONLY option for not killing your car in under three years. A friend of mine fixed up an E30 iX last summer - it's a great winter car, an amazingly capable vehicle that can make it through more snow than most plow trucks. It was completely repainted with a bunch of new body panels and repairs. But the thing already needs rust repair again - and that was after one winter. It's not about ease of use or preference, or even resale value - it's about having your car not disintegrate after two winters.
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MouseFitzgerald
> MouseFitzgerald
11/10/2013 at 01:09 |
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In general though I think older Japanese trucks are pretty great for winter duty. Cheap, tough and almost garunteed to have a stick.
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LeadfootYT
> A3R0
11/10/2013 at 01:11 |
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They're great cars for driving in winter, but they rust straight through, and a lot of the first components to go are suspension - which is all iX-specific. So by the time your $2500 worth of parts does arrive from Germany, winter will be over. Shame - they're some of the most capable and best-performing winter cars available.
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zadtheinhaler
> dogisbadob
11/10/2013 at 03:30 |
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Just imagine not worrying about anyone sliding into your precious, or stuffing it into a snowbank. Then you can polish up and maintain your baby, maybe add go-fast bits, then come that glorious first day where the roads aren't covered in crap, and the temperatures are just above freezing...
So you buff up the insurance, put the new sticker on the plate, and enjoy all that oppo that you so richly deserve.
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zadtheinhaler
> 911e46z06
11/10/2013 at 03:34 |
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Short wheelbase+351W+4-speed=hella fun. That is what I learned on, and I still miss it.
Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder
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11/10/2013 at 05:32 |
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Depends on your price range:
JEM
> m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
11/11/2013 at 10:27 |
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Either old Subaru or old Jeep, depending on how much snow you plan on driving through.
cabarne4
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11/16/2013 at 23:26 |
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Honestly, one of my favorite cars to drive in the snow was my friend's old 190E.
Solid runners can be found for cheap. The vinyl seats never tear or fade, so all the interiors look wonderful (except for the saggy seatback pockets, and the inevitable broken bezel piece around the shifter). The car feels extremely planted and confident in snow. They've got strong heaters, and the engine never seemed to skip a beat in the cold. Put your foot down, and the rear swings in an incredibly controllable manner. The car is physically small, but feels solid as a tank — which is great when you're driving between idiots who think "4WD" somehow means their 5,000lb death machine has twice the stopping power of anyone else.
Barbillious
> Milky
02/16/2015 at 21:48 |
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love this car, but is that good in the snow? I want one maybe.
Captain of the Enterprise
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11/19/2015 at 16:29 |
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Maybe an old XJ
shop-teacher
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11/19/2015 at 16:32 |
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Here’s what I picked.
TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW!
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11/19/2015 at 16:37 |
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Pontiac Grand Prix? Pontiac Grand Prix.
With good tires, it is a monster in the snow, thanks to it’s 99% front weight bias. They are cheap to own, cheap to run and rust like a sonofabitch. But they are everywhere in Canada, and everything I suggest for cheap will probably have a GM 3800 Series II.
Talk This guy down, or get one of These
Shane
> dogisbadob
11/19/2015 at 16:46 |
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Let me guess, where you live “winter” is +10 centigrade and “snow” is that thing that happens once every 5 years?
Snow tires don’t do fucking shit against salt rotting your car. They don’t do fucking shit about blocks of ice the size of a baseball - or bigger - hitting you. They don’t do fucking shit about drivers plowing into the side of you because they don’t have winter tires, or, they have winter tires but there is nothing that will stop you from sliding down a steep skating rink into an intersection. They don’t do shit to get you up a hill in you rwd. They don’t do fucking shit in getting your car with 2-inch clearance over 5 inches of compacted snow deposited in your driveway by the snow plows.
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> TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW!
11/19/2015 at 17:00 |
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Did this post got reshared somewhere recently? I made it like 2 years ago.
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dogisbadob
> Shane
11/19/2015 at 17:21 |
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Wrong! Winter is usually around zero centigrade, and snow happens once or twice a year. But it’s usually not necessary to actually drive in that foot of snow.
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TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW!
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11/20/2015 at 09:34 |
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Indeed it did.
I got Kinja’d pretty hard...