by Cataboo (3888)

All I have to say is WTF? about those shorts.

by RenegadeZ3 (1)

last

by steepdeepnlong (419)

I drove a '75 Mustang (V6, 4spd) with 70 series tires. Put chains on that thing and I could plow snow with the license plate. Had an 84 Subaru in Wisconsin, handled snow great and the only car I've ever 360'd in snow (although to be fair, I sort of did it on purpose). Had Jeep cherokees until May (back to Subaru now) and loved them in the snow, but 18mpg on the highway at 2.90/gal + was hard on the wallet.

by Smoketree (308)

I second that... thanks for chiming in. Especially since you agree with me :)

My first car was a '77 diesel mercedes 300D, rear wheel drive (this was in '93 or '94 i think). The first time I drove it on ice (in Dallas) I slid across the road at a stop sign and part of the way into the lake across the street. Oops.

by Toddisgay (44)

I had an Olds too at the ripe age of 16....it was an '88 Regency Brougham with all the bells and whistles. It performed like a champ in the snow, and did its fair share of reverse doughnuts in vacant parking lots back in MI. I drove that sucker to the ground with 200,000 miles on it. Sweet cruiser.

by lodidodi (851)

It was rear wheel drive and i was a bad driver and i spun it out in the snow and hopped it up on a curb. It did a lot better then my 5.0 mustang convertible I used to have. When it snowed I would have to drive it in reverse to get up small inclines.

by Cataboo (3888)

Wow Dodi... How'd the love wagon do driving in snow?

by lodidodi (851)

thought = though

by lodidodi (851)

When i was 16, I had a 86 oldsmobile station wagon, me and my friends called it the "Love Wagon" even thought it never saw any action, haha.

by Cataboo (3888)

Hey Deren,

Definitely a thoughtful post & thanks for chiming in.

What did the pitbull do you?

by D (30)

I just can't let this one go without chiming in...

I own a new Xterra as of December, and prior to that I had a Suby. I've also driven a Wrangler, 4Runner, and Suburban in the snow...and let's not forget my first snow car, an '88 Ford LTD Crown Victoria Country Squire station wagon - you know, the rwd front heavy woody.

First off, the driver is more important than the vehicle. I drove the LTD in every day the first year I worked a ski resort, with my fair share of trips early in the morning before the plows. Learning to drive in snow in that beast was a sink or swim kinda thing - and I'm still alive so I guess I swam, and it really forced me to learn how to drive well in the snow. I passed more stuck SUVs in that car than I can count, and I didn't chain up once.

That said, the Suby was, by far, the best snow car. I bought the Xterra because I was spending too much time off pavement, both for SAR and play, and the Suby couldn't get me everywhere. Of course, I don't commute in the Xterra - my commuter vehicle has 2 wheels and pedals and when I lived further away from work, my commuter was a motorcycle. I wouldn't have gone for an SUV as a daily commuter, as SUVs perform poorly on pavement compared to cars. The Xterra is still more than adequate in the snow, substantially better than the Ford, and slightly better than the SUVs. Of course, driving ability still counts for more - I've passed a few stuck Suby's in the Xterra.

Holy crap this post got long...bottom line: Don't get an SUV unless you really need it for frequence off-road or towing, especially if it's your daily commuter 'cause they perform like s**t on pavement. The suby outperforms an SUV on both snow and pavement hands down.

Deren <-- Not climbing Rainier right now as planned due to Pit Bull induced injury

by Toddisgay (44)

Avocado/BK, thanks for the TX info.

The first time I even set foot in Texas was this past April; its going to take some time getting used to 90% humidity and never seeing snow - that'll be a first.

I hail from Detroit originally, so I didn't really know what a mountain looked like either until high school.

I'm hoping that I will do my 5 years max and then get the heck out. Houston was never on my top 10 list of places to live, but i'll try and make the best of it. At least international airfares seem to be cheap from "H.W." airport. Maybe I can finally get to Peru or Ecuador.

by Sky Spy (313)

You can attach a winch to any vehicle. I promise. However, you may want to consider the resale value that you want from it...

You'd be the envy of all your friends!

by Cataboo (3888)

My sooobie's never seen snow ;(

But I only got it in May

by Smoketree (308)

loves playing in snow:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ssmcdaniel47/detail?.dir=4b56re2&.dnm=361are2.jpg&.src=ph

by Cataboo (3888)

I enjoy having a car that doesn't have the tendency to flip over. I think the Subaru is most likely going to be able to handle all the snow conditions I see in Virginia/the east coast.


I've been sort of looking through the Subaru outback forums trying to see what the maximum clearance is for their subaru - people are reporting being able to drive through 36" of snow without any issues (not being a berm), and seeing several stuck SUV's and hummers while they were doing so. That seems pretty common theme in the forums, laughing at the stuck SUV's and totalling the ones that you've pulled out of when they get stuck in the snow.

Berms - the only reports I found was that going through a 24 inch one was no problem, and sometimes the license plate holder gets cracked.

by Dani Kennedy (90)

I agree about AWD vs an SUV 4WD. I would use one of the Explorers in deep snow (or a berm), but would hesitate to take the Audi out in that. For just getting out an incredibly steep and long driveway, though, either will work. We have seen a lot of 2WD cars stuck on our driveway over the years, including the mailman last winter.

by Smoketree (308)

Not all AWD cars have high clearance, but suburu outbacks actually do. That's one of the differences between the legacy and the outback wagons; that's part of what makes it an "outback"

by Smoketree (308)

by theavocado (22)

I have to disagree a little on the concept that an AWD car is as good in the snow as a SUV. I've seen several, and heard of a lot, of cars that "high center" on the snow burms left by the plows, or ones that damage the lower airdam below the bumper from the snow burms. What's misleading is the idea that a lot of cars have the same ground clearance as trucks. Technically, they do, but its usually due to the large differential hanging below the rear axle. The SUVs have much more clearance under the front bumper and in the middle of the vehicle.

It's probably not a problem for a lot of people that stay at hotels or resorts, but we stay at my Grandfathers house, and I much rather push through the burm at the end of the driveway first thing in the morning than have to go out with a shovel and miss my chance at freshies.

Though, now I'm moving to Virginia and stuck with a gas guzzler that won't be used for it's purpose, but I don't want to trade in....