Hey everyone, just thought I would start a thread for all the people thinking ahead about the season for shovelling coming up in a few months...

if you need a winter beater, or you're trying to get rid of your old one, this might be a place to start.


- personally im looking for a 4x4- i dont care if it's only got AM radio and one speaker. - if it's got snow tires, low range, and a rear defrost, i'll take it !

i was forced to drive my 8 last winter ( i know! its a crime!) and although it was a reliable winter car, i think this year it's gonna get wrapped up in a diaper untill the snow dissapears.

 

currently considering a subaru imprezza , gmc jimmy, and the H.M.S. suburban - any input ? i'd like to save a bit of money, and i will not drive anything, that gets worse mileage than my 8 !

-suburban's out.

 

Need a winter beater too. Ford Focus or one of the Subaru's

 

My Focus runs great as a winter beater

 

I have a 2000 Focus Wagon 5spd with 136,000km 1st $2300.00 takes it!

 

Subaru's are great winter beaters!

I like them because they run the fuel and brake lines inside the car, so no snowbanks or ice rips them off the car. Also they dont rust out when they are inside the car.

 

Few people understand why some cars are great in poor winter weather and while others are horrible.
Four wheel drive will make sure you have enough drive to get you through almost anything and avoid the stuck in the driveway issues. The down side of many SUVs is a short wheel base, high center of gravity and stiff suspension, which greatly reduces its high-speed stability. A car with a short wheel base will rotate faster in a spin than a longer vehicle. This will give you less time to correct a slide and increase the likelihood of a spin. Stiff suspension doesn’t soak up bumps as well as a softly sprung vehicle so when you hit a snow drift it’s more likely to upset the balance of the car which can cause a slide.
So when looking for a winter car you should consider whether you need the grunt of a good 4x4 to dig in and get you moving or the high speed stability of something like a van or a wagon, which are usually low, long and softly sprung.
Anytime the weather is really bad out and you’re driving around take a look around you and see what type of vehicles seem to be having very little trouble flying around. It’s amazing how many SUVs you see in the ditches.
I’ve had quite the variety of winter vehicles and the Ford Escape 4x4 with winter tires won’t touch a Ford Windstar with poor all season tires when it comes to flying around on high speed roads, and nothing could touch the SUV when it came to flying up the drive way in 3ft of snow.

 

I think this is a solid idea I may invest in as well.. no winter 8 for me.. RPM saw my own little mistake this past winter...

damn you... waterloo snow... but what to get.. hmm..

 

I'm gonna be looking for a beater as well, but want an auto and only looking to pay $1k for it.

Gonna be selling my blizzaks

 

+1up Thumper

"if it's worth more than a grand, it's more than a beater" - redneck proverb

 

yea that is pretty much the same criteria I have.

 

...i wonder if there's anywhere we could get 5 cars for 4 grand.... team up and save a few bucks...

maybe scare the hell out of a used car salesman.

 

^ LOL... not a bad idea. Buying power put to work...

 

'97 Mazda 626
auto
$1000 and its yours
https://www.rx8club.com/canada-sale-wanted-147/fs-1997-mazda-626-%241000-good-winter-beater-175939/

 

Just get a used 8 as your beater lol

 

This thread makes me sad, it's the first full day of summer and we are already planning for winter........