deok

Hey
I'm curious about buying a car. I currently live in Colorado where it snows alot, and I'm wondering what older model cars handle well in the snow. I was looking at older Audi's but i've heard they're very unreliable. I tried looking for all-trac celicas but those are hard to trac down.

My budget is going to end up being around $5-8k

anwar1337

Toyota MR2 Turbo, Mid engine and handles like a magnet. Only negative is its a two seater, but if you hook up the engine you can get crazy power from it and you can find one for 5K.

Faymester

omg i hope you're joking, my friend has one and when it snowed this winter he could go no where ... we were completely reliant on my is300

JAC JZS

Get a Subaru, theyre great, just ask mmarshall

UberNoob

any 4x4 SUVs would be great
you also cant go wrong with subaru's AWD system
the Forester has enuf clearance for most of the snow unless u live out in the country

mmarshall

Absolutely. In general, Subarus are some of the best daily drivers on the market for foul weather....the simple, durable, and effective AWD system, for the money, is second to none.
Two things to avoid, however, wth Subarus. First is the Impreza WRX or STi...unless you plan to put all-season or winter tires on them. Their stock tires are too biased towards summer dry-pavement performance to be good in snow. Second, if possible, avoid the nonturbo 2.5 H4 before 2002 unless it has the special Subaru Coolant Conditioner in the anti-freeze and the special 6 year/80,000 mile engine warranty.....there were head gasket issues with untreated engines up to 2002. 2003 and up engines had redesigned head gaskets and much better reliability.

If for any reason you don't want a Subie, then look at the Toyota RAV4, Honda CRV, Hyundai Tuscon, and Hyundai Santa Fe. All four of these vehicles are good Subaru alternatives and reliable. The Toyota Matrix AWD is reliable but doesn't have much ground clearance for deep snow.

A newcomer this year.......and one of the best AWD values on the market.....is the Suzuki SX-4 (see my review). Brand-new SX-4's are well-built, start at $15,000 (no, I'm not kidding) and come with not only standard AWD but a 3-positon rotary switch that lets you choose FWD for economy, AWD for traction, or AWD Lock for tough conditions or semi-of roading. Money-wise, it is an even better deal than the Subarus, but the AWD system is new and unproven, so there is some risk in buying one. It is also quite small, though tall.......maybe too short for your tastes. But check it out....you might find it a bargain.

bizzy928

Subaru Impreza

Don't forget a good set of winter tires!!!

Xeeeeeem

Get an excellent set of snow tires...much cheaper than a car

AzNMpower

Yea, get snow tires. AWD gets you going. Better tires developed for cold snowy conditions let you accelerate, brake, grip, and corner better. An olympic skater isn't going to get very far on ice if you make him wear sneakers

It doesn't snow too much in MD. But I have winter tires for the X3 anyways. And they are worth every penny, optimizing the way the electronics work.

juniorEXE

forget a subaru.... Bandvagn for the win!


why handle the snow when you can own it lol

mmarshall

Winters in MD, like right across the river in VA where I am, can vary enormously from one year to the next...from quite mild to Arctic-like. And AWD, for the most part, except for purpose-designed AWD cars with dry-pavement tires like the STi and Evo, pretty negates the NEED for snow tires in the first place.....and the hassles of putting them on and off and keeping them balanced and rotated.

kit cat

iTrader: (6)

I had a Subaru SVX. and I was really suprised it drove/handle for a car was designed back in 1990, especially at high speeds. They're dirt cheap now, flat6 AWD, Giugiaro design, and I would love to own another one.

Just watch out for those wheels bearings. I beat my car pretty badly (even took it to a local drag strip couple times haha) and nothing else broke, but had to replace 3 wheel bearings.

kit cat

iTrader: (6)

please tell me its a joke

geko29

Don't see a need for a "special" car in typical snow-belt states. The Chicago area averages 38" a year, vs. 42" for Boston and 20" for Baltimore. I know few people with AWD, and even fewer who actually need it here. I did just fine in one of our heaviest winters in recent history (50") with a RWD V8 pickup running on 255-series performance tires, with no weight in the bed.

Now Colorado is a bit of a different story. The state averages 60"/year, and many areas get a LOT more than that. An AWD car like a subaru wouldn't be a bad idea at all, nor would a smaller SUV with 4WD and a locking center diff if you're in an area that gets hit particularly hard. Good choices for the real heavy stuff would be older 4WD Blazers with the 4.3L V6 or a Cherokee/Grand Cherokee with the 4.0L straight six and Selec-Trac 4WD. Or even (since this is a Toyota site) a previous-generation 4runner with the V6 and 4wd. Lighter areas would be better served by something like an Impreza, Forester, or Legacy. Outback and Outback Sport models are the same as the Legacy and Impreza, respectively, just with a bit more ground clearance. If you want something for year-round, the Legacy GT is pretty fun for a camry/accord-class car with AWD.

But the most important thing to upgrade no matter what the level of snowfall is the driver. Find a snow-filled parking lot and try accelerating, braking, and turning faster than you should. Discover the vehicle's limits (as well as your own), what warning signs there are when you approach them, and the best ways to work around them. Learning how to effectively deal with/take advantage of inertia and limited traction are the biggest things. This is how I learned how to make the best of a torquey RWD with no weight over the drive wheels. My first season, I had to take left hand turns at 5mph to keep from drifting off-line and I pissed a lot of people off. By the end of the 2nd, I could do it easily and safely at 20-25mph. The car is going to slide in some instances. It's how you deal with it that's important.

deok

actually currently I have a 99 forrester but it's become kind of boring to drive plus as a guy you don't look too cool driving it. That's why I started looking into Audi's and other cars that looked a little nicer.

And as I don't live in the mountains anymore I don't need something as rugged as a Subaru I live more in the denver metro area. but then again I think we got around 100 inches of snow this year...but I see all types of cars there rwd, awd, and fwd.
But I also like to travel into the mountains and some of the passes have black ice.

thanks for that info geko but again my budget isn't enough to afford a legacy gt.