Affordable Vehicle for Snow

Parent Cafe
21

I think for a young person almost any of the AWD 'crossovers" and the like would work, I like Subaru’s, but the Honda CRV, the Toyota RAV4, and the like are good cars (Ford makes one that is nice), I would stay away from the Jeep crossovers, I have heard some not nice things about their reliability.

Folks, with the impreza I don’t think the high insurance is for the standard models, the crosstrek is built on the impreza platform,the high insurance is going to be for the WRX models, especially the STI, which are basically de tuned rally cars. I doubt it is because kids like to hot rod imprezas, you can hot rod civics, you can hot rod hyundais and other ‘low end’ cars, the high insurance is going to be the WRX and WRX STI, so don’t be afraid of it.

One note on cars riding high, while that can get you over higher snow drifts, that also has disadvantages, like wind load on the car, and while they have done a lot of work on suspensions to try and prevent it, the higher a car rides, the more likely it could tip (and it is nowhere near as bad as things like jeep wranglers and some of the bigger SUV’s,crossovers are that high up, but still).

I totally agree with what others have said, about learning to drive in snow and ice and cold rain. AWD is a marvelous thing, as are good tires, ABS, traction control and the modern suspensions and brake systems, but there still is no substitute for good driving (and like some of the others, I went through winters with fwd and with a car now that is real wheel drive, never had AWD). In bad weather, the key rules still apply, sparing use of the brakes, giving yourself larger following distances, as slow as possible steering maneuvers, and the big one, SLOW DOWN. I still see people in SUV’s and the like doing 70 on a highway full of slush and snow, they forget the rules of momentum and inertia, and end up in a ditch or worse. One thing I would encourage the kid is when the first storm they face hits, go someplace (like an empty parking lot) and practice driving, get a feel for skids, for what happens when you brake, if you go out of control, won’t hurt anything, and you learn that way before you hit the real deal.

Depending on your budget, you can buy a certified used car (usually they are coming off leases), or buy one with like 50,000 miles, and the kid likely will get a lot of use out of it. It also depends on how far they will be driving each day, if they have a relatively long commute I would get a newer car, if it is a relatively short commute and older car may be fine.

22

Adding a friendly reminder to tell all new drivers to always make sure that they clear the tailpipe of snow if they are going to be sitting in the car to stay warm for any reason.

Friend’s daughter nearly died of carbon monoxide poisoning while she was trying to warm up as she was shoveling out her car in the remote college lot.

Most cities with heavy snow clean the main streets pretty quickly. The problem lies in trying to go somewhere in the middle of a snowstorm.

And the very best 4 wheel drive will not stop you on ice…

If looking for a car that sits higher make sure to check the rollover stats. Often times over correcting for novice drivers is common.

23

I wish the OP would come back and share a budget. You mention wanting to go “newish” but budget makes a difference if there is one. No need to be recommending a CRV is you don’t have a CRV budget!

24

Yes, the insurance issue on the Imprezas is with the WRX and WRX STI, both high performance cars and hence the premium gasoline required. But as I said in our case, both the insurance and extra cost of gasoline have not been all that much. I think the regular Imprezas runs on regular gas and insurance would be as it is on a similar car.

Having lived with snowy winters all my life, the front wheel drive is of course far superior to rear wheel drive. But with the hills we encounter, it is not always enough. The Pilot is the first 4WD I have ever had and it has made a huge difference in getting up my driveway. In the past, I had to leave the front wheel drive vehicle at the bottom til we could plow. Now, in most cases, with 4WD I can get to the top of the driveway.with a few inches of snow on it. This is a steep incline!

And no, nothing works on ice! If you encounter ice, back off the accelerator, don’t hit the brakes, keep steering straight - don’t try to turn.

25

@intparent and others talking about Impreza insurance - My son’s brand new 2015 Impreza “hatchback” or whatever it was called, cost $250 per year LESS to insure than the used 4 door Mazda 3 we were replacing.
However, my other son’s 2 door Scion TC (not new) costs a lot more to insure. I think the number of doors may matter, and I think the Impreza is classified as a station wagon, so that helped.
Just real life experience being reported. I do suggest you call about insurance before you buy.
We learned that the hard way after buying the Scion.

26

It is all about the tires. I had a mini van, and felt safe in that big vehicle. My replacement Honda Fit scared me in winter, until I bought the best traction radials I could find. The difference was astounding. Despite lack of high clearance, I am confident driving in all sorts of weather. You also need to think about the community. If you live in a city where the streets get plowed regularly, front wheel drive with good tires should work well. If in the mountain west or a place with hills and ice, AWD and winter tires might be far safer.

27

I’d suggest having her watch some youtube videos on winter driving, steering into a skid, etc. if driving in snowy and potentially icy conditions are new to her.

In my experience, it is the beginning of a snowfall that is the trickiest when there is a light coating on the road mixing with any oils already on the road. Once there is actually some accumulation on the road, with a good car and good tires you can get a little traction.

My suggestion for best snow vehicle for a young person is what my kids drove throughout their teen years - an AWD Volvo. Sexy? Nope. Good in winter conditions? Yes. Safe should an accident occur? You bet.

28

@1214mom:
The scion is classified as a ‘sporty’ car, it is a two door, has a peppy engine in it, looks ‘cool’ and is designed to attract young drivers, especially men, so the insurance companies assume it is more risky (I could argue that one, stock TC’s are exactly a muscle car).

@doschicos:
Only problem with a volvo may be the cost, even used they are very expensive comparitively, and they also can be very expensive to fix when they break…but if they have the budget, volvos can be decent cars, though they have gone through periods when their quality fell off, recently they have been good.

29

@musicprnt We don’t know their budget but you can get some reasonable used ones. To me, its worth a little more $ to insure bodily safety. We’ve had many Volvos over the years. They aren’t that pricey to maintain IMO and you can find independent Volvo mechanics which can save a little over a dealership. We currently have one that has over 200K miles on it and still going strong. And now I’ve jinxed myself.

The Car Talk guys were always big fans of used Volvos for teen drivers so its not just me. :slight_smile:

30

As others have said, the most important thing is how you drive. I can’t tell you how many time I’ve driven past SUVs that probably had AWD or whatever in the ditch in my front-wheel drive car with all weather radials. There’s one spot near me that is apparently the local equivalent of Dead Man’s Curve. :slight_smile: You’ll see people with AWD behemoths go blasting along on icy roads and know that they just won’t be able to stop if they need to. I’ve been driving on snow and ice since I got my license, and it is a technique that has to be learned. Feeling impervious to nature and the laws of physics in a big car isn’t going to help you. Tread on your tires will. :slight_smile:

The one thing I have a problem with is getting up the driveway. There’s just enough of a slope to make it a problem if there’s 6" or more of snow on it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d be happy to have an AWD car with snow tires in the winter. I just don’t find it necessary, and the $$ don’t work.

31

It’s wise to invest in good tires. All-season tires are mediocre at best in snow and ice. You will still likely lose grip on slippery surfaces and break traction by braking too hard. Putting on a set of snow tires can make all the difference. I’ve known people with rear wheel drive cars who have had no problems driving in snow, when their cars had snow tires on.

32

Well, I don’t skid around and I don’t have accidents, so apparently mediocre is good enough in Maine if you know how to drive. :smiley:

33

Mediocre is good enough for Wisconsin as well. But when I was talking tires, I was not talking mid range. I was talking the best available for my vehicle. I always found it fascinating that when I lived in the mountains of AZ, everyone had snow tires. I don’t know a soul with snow tires in Wisconsin. But we do know how to drive in snow.

34

OP back. Sorry to post and disappear. Bad work day. Most of you will guffaw if I tell you what state this D is in because you would consider it the South too. Her problem is that she lives some distance from her job and can only get there on a couple of curvy rural roads. Also she goes out regularly to a barn on country roads so plowing is not always optimal. The snow is not an everyday thing at all but regular enough for about 3 months to be an issue. I am not really sure of the budget yet but it will be under 30000 for certain. We have a great Subaru dealer here in our small town so he will be our first stop this weekend. H says he has some nice used ones so used it may be. I also have heard great things about CRV so I am glad to read the comments about it. Thanks for all the good ideas.

35

When I was looking for the Impreza, the difference between used and new was not substantial enough to buy used.

36

"You’ll see people with AWD behemoths go blasting along on icy roads and know that they just won’t be able to stop if they need to. "

A lot people think AWD adds both all wheel go and all wheel stop. They don’t realize that everybody already has all wheel stop and AWD isn’t going to help them stop any faster than any other car. Snow tires improve both go and stop, so they’re a big benefit for FWD, RWD, and AWD.

I almost got stuck in our AWD SUV once after parking. Had to rock and forth to get out. Snow tires instead of all-seasons would’ve made that a whole lot easier.

37

I’m driving my third Volvo sedan. The car handles lousy in snow without snow tires. We had snow tires for the first two Volvo sedans (front wheel drive). Since I no longer MUST go out when it snows, we don’t have snow,tires for this one. But I do NOT drive it until the roads are cleared.

38

My daughter and nearly everyone in her Adirondack village drive Subaru, mostly foresters. My Hyundai Elantra does well with snow tires.

39

To the OP.

  1. What is the car budget?
  2. Where exactly does this kiddo live? There is a big difference between living in Boston and living in Syracuse.
  3. What makes you think a four wheel drive vehicle is needed? Snow? Hilly terrain? What?
40

I have found Subarus to be best in the snow. I love the Forester the most but was also happy with my Impreza and Legacy. When other cars around me were skidding or getting stuck in snowy patches on the road or struggling up hilly snow covered roads, my Subarus got me home safe. I tried a Nissan Altima once, and had to reroute twice on my way home from work one snowy day because it couldn’t make it up the hills-- and I told my husband I would only drive Subarus for all future leases!