Can you give me ideas of an affordable car for 20 something who needs reliable vehicle for first full time job in location with lots of snowy days? I think I would rather it be new if we can find a reasonable monthly payment… We are used to buying for the Deep South so getting to work on snow days has not been on our worry list. Thanks for any comments about your favorites, SUV or sedan.
I got my son a Subaru Impreza.
Just make sure it has all-wheel drive and all weather tires. Southerner here who learned to adapt. Huge difference in all wheel drive vs two wheel drive.
I always think these types of threads should require you to give an idea of your price range…
Many will not support this idea but our D when she was a new college grad and looking for a car that would be not too big but have 4wd, ended up buying a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. She got a demo model at year end and ended up having a nearly new car for with 4WD and a 100,000 mile warranty. Heated seats also! The combination of these items for a young woman starting out (without a lot of $$ to spend) had our support. She has somewhere around 60,000 miles on it now - maybe more - and hasn’t had a drop of trouble beyond normal maintenance.
I agree that all wheel drive would be good. But your driver also needs to learn how,to,drive in ice and snow. If it’s icy, or roads are totally snow covered, somethings all you get is all,wheel slip…all,wheel drive is not the perfect solution.
My New England drivers had front wheel drive, and no one ever got stuck.
That being said…if you want a good four wheel drive, the Subaru Impreza is a great car.
How much can you spend?
We are “early” shopping for a car we hope to get by the end of this year for D who is a sophomore in college. We want her to have AWD or 4WD here in Ohio. We/she are looking at the Impreza (though H doesn’t like that it’s so low…), Hyundai Tucson, the Outlander Sport. But she’ll be getting something used with “low” miles.
Northern New Englander here, and I’ve never had AWD or 4WD. Only front wheel drive. Nor do I have snow tires.
My son lives in VT and works in VT/NH–he’s a reporter, and has to drive around in rural areas–and he has a Ford Focus (the newer kind). I encouraged him to get heated seats, since it didn’t cost much, and he chose to get snow tires for the winter.
It has been a very economical, reliable choice. We looked for a used car, but were unable to find anything reasonable that didn’t have over 100K miles on it.
Subarus are a good choice. Note that the Impreza costs more to insure than a similar Outback (difference was quite large several years ago when I was looking at used models). So check with your insurance agent before buying.
Another northern New Englander weighing in. I highly recommend AWD or 4WD.
I recommend Volvos and Subarus for good snow vehicles.
I think Subaru Imprezas cost more to insure because they are a car of choice among a certain set of young men who like to drive around in souped up versions. Think Fast and the Furious.
What state? What constitutes lots of snow?
Subaru or Suzuki AWD if you can find either used at a good price.
Not sure what you mean by a lot of snow. I’m assuming you’re not talking about someplace like the Rockies or a very northern state like Wyoming. In that case most of the recommendations in this thread should be fine.
My most important piece of advice is this - the exact vehicle you get is probably less important than riding on a set of good winter tires (not all season tires). If snow / ice is a real concern then do not cheap out on this. All the AWD crap in the world won’t help if you have no traction. I put my wife and kids on Blizzaks. Buy a cheap extra set of wheels to mount the tires on so you can put them on and off easily (around November and April). It’ll cost a $1000 but they’ll last 5 years and it’s night and day difference safety-wise.
You mentioned reliability … If it gets real cold there (0 or below) and you’ll be leaving the car outside then make sure you’ve got a good battery that will cold crank so you can get the car started.
If there are big uncleared snow drifts (not likely in urban areas) then get an SUV for the clearance. Not too high a center of mass though.
If getting into a crash is a real concern then imo there’s no substitute for steel and mass, though modern safety features help a lot too.
You should specify the location you’re talking about if possible - for example, if it’s hilly then you may want to buy something that can handle that.
My vote is for the Subaru Impreza. I’m from the south and hate snow driving, but here I am in the Colorado mountains. I keep a set of studded snow tires which I switch to as soon as it looks like snow season, and then back to all-weathers. H’s old Subaru WRX (souped up version of the Impreza) is also great in the snow. I had an AWD Honda Pilot, but went over completely sideways in a ditch (had stupidly not changed tires and the car went “sledding.”) Too scary, so time for a short car. We’re thinking of getting a car for HS senior D and will probably be looking at used Subarus.
From Northern New England. I think every third car in my town is a Subaru of some sort. Eighty-six year old neighbor hit ice, went skidding off the road right head on into a large tree, and walked away. She was driving a Subaru Forester.
I am in the south and bought a used AWD Honda CRV for my daughter in western Mass. She asked for snow tires but instead got all weather tires rated good in the snow. She was the “go to” person for rides.
Another Subaru Impreza (and yes, it’s the WRX model for the son, lol) vote here. He needed it in very northern NJ (can be very snowy) and now is in Northeast PA with snow, hills, and narrow streets. Love it! Has never had a problem. He bought it in 2012 with 83,000 miles on it and it is still going strong. Best car buy we ever made. Might cost a bit more to operate as it needs premium gasoline, but in the grand scheme, it’s not much more. Insurance is not bad either. And he loves the AWD.
I have a Honda Pilot that I also love. It has a 4WD system that has to be engaged manually, which is fine. It is just enough to get up our extreme hill driveway with the 90 degree turn in it when it is snow covered. It only works at a low speed, otherwise it will disengage. So it’s not in 4WD all the time. This is a 2008 Pilot and the new ones look like crossovers instead of SUVs. Don’t know what I will do when I have to replace this one. This is my favorite vehicle I have had for myself.
I have a Subaru Outback. My D and S’s fiancé both have Subaru Crosstrek’s which they love. D liked the Crosstrek better than the Impreza. D’s insurance on the Crosstrek is very reasonable. S’s fiancé had a Honda CRV before which she had at college in one of the snowiest places in the country. I think she wanted a change and liked the styling of the Crosstrek.
I live in a place that gets quite a bit of snow. Michigan and lake effect. When your area gets a lot of snow, the community is great about clearing the snow. I don’t find it any harder to drive here than I did when I lived somewhere that got much less snow. My H drives for work and has a Hyundai Elantra. He put snow tires on his car and I have all weather tires. His snow tires are great and his car has the same performance in the snow as mine. As long as my tires are good and have tread on them, I go great in the snow. When you have winter weather, when your tires are worn you need tires.
I agree with the poster who said to make sure you have a good battery in the car.
These questions come up from time to time here. I am an outlier. Learning to drive carefully in winter weather and snowy conditions is more important than the car. Oh and don’t buy a rear drive car, rear drive and winter weather, not a good combo.
@deb922 I totally agree with you and said this in my first response on this thread.
Here is the rub. Some folks think they will be safer in an all wheel drive car when driving in the ice and snow. To be frank…the person might (note…might) get around better in an all wheel drive car in only snow. But when there is ice…all bets are off. Having four wheel drive is NOT going to make ALL winter driving safer if the person driving the car has no idea what they are doing.
But take heart…no matter what car you get your kiddo, they WILL learn how to drive it. Remember that all new drivers in a state learn this every year! And many don’t have all wheel drive.
So interesting about the Impreza and insurance - didn’t know that, and don’t want to tell H that!
I do understand that some people feel they don’t “need” AWD or 4WD. However, some of us are married to H’s who have convinced us that having it is worth it when you need it and sometimes it’s just a comfort knowing you do. My H insists that at least one of our cars is - and always has. I’m ok with that. Comfort level for these things differ.
Just always remember that AWD/4WD is not a guarantee of safety.
Subaru Impreza. There you go, decision made. 