Will need a new vehicle
#22
Certain model & year Subaru's are notorious for head gasket problems. You'd have to stay away from those. (97,98,99?)
I've had real good luck with Jeep's. A 6cyl 4wd would be a $10K car. It will be primitive & rude compared to imports of the same vintage, but will cost less.
Do you think that you can find a front wheel drive car with traction control? That would be just about as good as awd/4wd on snowy roads.
After 30 years of driving in WI and MN I can say that Awd/4wd is not essential for the midwest. Front wheel drive with good tires is more than adequate.
I've had real good luck with Jeep's. A 6cyl 4wd would be a $10K car. It will be primitive & rude compared to imports of the same vintage, but will cost less.
Do you think that you can find a front wheel drive car with traction control? That would be just about as good as awd/4wd on snowy roads.
After 30 years of driving in WI and MN I can say that Awd/4wd is not essential for the midwest. Front wheel drive with good tires is more than adequate.
#23
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Originally Posted by sumo_elan,Jan 7 2005, 02:45 PM
used Isuzu Vehicross
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dcak, I think a 4 wheel drive suv might be more of a pain than a benefit. I went to school in pittsburgh, and depending on where you are going to live or are living, the roads can be very narrow and parking can be very tight. I would highly recommend snow tires on any car you get in pittsburgh, because the hills do get very steep and extremely icy during bad weather. As for a recommended car to get, I think people in the previous posts have came up with some great ideas, but personally I would stick with some sort of sedan, wether it be a 4WD or FWD. Good Luck
#28
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Originally Posted by dcak,Jan 3 2005, 08:02 AM
I just don't think we "need" a 4x4 SUV. Any thoughts?
Several inches of snow and freezing rain were falling here just north of Boston today, and the snow plows and salt trucks were a little late getting out. My wife was going just as fast in her FWD Jetta with all season tires as the 4x4s were - we passed more of them than they did us. When I get out in a RWD sports car with real snow tires, I do even better, averaging 5-10 mph faster than the SUVs - today's silica compound snow tires are incredible.
We saw one major accident. It was caused when an SUV spun out ending stopped across the roadway. A bunch of cars stopped in time, but two other trucks didn't - having four wheel drive doesn't help you when you need to brake or swerve. Some innocent cars got caught in the resultant crossfire.
The one thing having a 4x4 or AWD vehicle can help with is avoiding getting stuck. Unless you are planning to go off road, a 4x4 SUV doesn't really have any advantages over an AWD sedan in this area - and it does have disadvantages, like being more likely to roll when you go into the ditch.
And if you are planning to go off road, remember - four wheel drive just lets you get stuck deeper in the snow, further off the road.
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