good snow car

[97greenZJ]

Need suggestions on a good 2nd vehicle for snow ... something that can handle 100-200 mile trips through northern MI/WI and southwest ON without a problem. This would be the winter beater car so I'd like to keep the price under $5k. Reliability or miles isn't so much since I can fix about anything, but I don't want to end up stranded 200 miles from home either.

Jeep Cherokees and Grands are great but they suck gas like there's no tomorrow and I don't have any relatives in Iraq or Saudi who can hook me up ...

My old Yota pick-up was only OK in snow, and then only if I dropped several sand bags in the rear.

I've been looking for a late model AMC Eagle but they're nearly impossible to find. Subi's are an option, but I've heard the older AWD ones are s-l-o-w. Someone mentioned a Justy as a possibility, but can it really hadle snow with 12" or 13" tires?

TIA for any suggestions.

[ehos]

Don't get a Mitsubishi Eclipse :) My car handles awesome in snow/ice (tis' the tires), but whenever it snows it turns into a snow shovel.

Buy a awd Talon (biased opinion) :) Or how about an older Soob? They're almost always awd and cheap!

[97greenZJ]

The 80's Soobi stuff is in the price range (some 90's too) ... but is that what folks really use in snow? Or just for the commercials ;)

Not all 80's are AWD. AWD arrived in 75 in the US market (not sure about Canada) but didn't outsell FWD until ~1990 in North America. In fact, 40% of Soobi sales were still FWD into the mid-90's.

The ground clearance is good on some models (the XT-6 has 6.5in[165mm] and some models had an air adjustable suspension). I'm just used to 15" or bigger wheels ... how do 12 and 13 inch wheels respond in snow?

[1badPT]

Almost anything with relatively high clearance should work with a proper set of winter tires. Winter drivability has more to do with tires than it does the vehicle you drive.

AWD is nice, but AWD with proper winters there is simply no comparison. Even a cheap front driver with good winter tires will keep you safely on the road.

So, my contribution to the thread is get a high clearance front driver with good winter tires. If you are mechanically inclined, throw in an LSD as well (helps prevent one wheel getting all the power when it loses traction).

[T5_X]

5K canadian?
You may be able to find a 1st gen subaru legacy turbo in that price range.

[hjr]

Originally posted by T5_X
5K canadian?
You may be able to find a 1st gen subaru legacy turbo in that price range. only if your lucky!!!

[Mikko]

4WD is definitely NOT needed. Practically no one here in Sweden has 4WD - but we have plenty of unlplowed snow roads.

Lets see. Front engined, front wheel drive, passenger car, some fresh, new, snow and ice optimized winter tires that are on the narrow side, and lower curb weight - all those things should give one hell of a good winter car as far as mobility and traction is concerned.

Limited slip differential added to the front would be a bit excessive, but if you feel paranoid .:nut:

Longer wheelbase will result in a less nervous, more stable car. Not a big deal though.

ABS.. could be good to have. Makes controlled braking easier, and one is alerted by the ABS buzzing and vibrating whenever braking which gives a great indication of just how slippery it is. Sometimes on our non ABS car, one hardly notices when the wheels lock up.

I would stay away from off-road vehicles. Mobility is good but handling is rather on the shitty side, especially as most are quite heavy.

I was out today in the parents Skoda Octavia 1.9Tdi (pretty much like a front heavy Jetta). It has probably the best winter tires available now - Nokian Hakkapellitta 4's, with metal studs.

It had snowed all night and was just below freezing. The snow kept coming down and there were some tracks on the roads where cars had driven, which had been compressed into an ice-like material, with some fresh snow on top.

It was absolutely impossible to get all the mighty 88.5hp to the ground. Wheelspin in third gear at 1900rpm sometimes, and this with the best tires. Stopping distances were VERY Long, ABS kept kicking in even during light braking, and the car understeered like mad if going over 20-25km/h in intersection turns.

During ABS braking, the rear felt quite nervous and twitchy, and would usually require some steering input to keep it from trying to overtake the front. ABS makes all this easier for sure. Without it, if the wheels lock, one has to contiously lift off the brakes and make steering corrections, then reapply (if threshhold braking fails).

In other words - don't worry about having a powerful engine. Go for economics and range instead.