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During the part of my life when I lived in an intensely snowy climate, I never had a vehicle with four-wheel drive, and never had any issues. Four-wheel drive i
by rpmisms 3y ago
During the part of my life when I lived in an intensely snowy climate, I never had a vehicle with four-wheel drive, and never had any issues. Four-wheel drive is a crutch to get you into situations your brakes can't get you out of.
- WeAddValue 3y agoYup, same here. I delivered pizzas in northern Ontario for 3 years while in school. During snowstorms it seemed quite a few people would decide to stay home ... and order a pizza. I carried about a dozen+ bricks with me that I would jam under the wheels of my front wheel drive whenever I got stuck, often several times per storm. Fun times fondly remembered.
- rpmisms 3y agoI'm glad snow tires and traction control have gotten so much better.
- itishappy 3y agoI used to crash my FWD Sienna into snowdrifts next to stuck vehicles, dig them free, then wobble my way out. Fond memories indeed! That being said, I would not trade my AWD Mazda 3. I've had to rock it once so far this season the morning after I plunged it into an unplowed slot during the last lake effect storm. AWD isn't a necessity, but it sure feels like a cheat-code. No bricks, no kitty litter. I haven't had to exit my vehicle in the last years I've been driving it around upstate NY.
- potta_coffee 3y agoI drove a 2wd pickup for years in a mountain town and I did ok. But now I have 4wd and it's great. It's not necessarily a crutch, but it can become one if one isn't smart about how they drive.
- PaulHoule 3y agoI’ve had all kinds of problems in the snow but I’m a New Yorker so I cope. I dig other people out more often than get stuck myself. The AWD vehicle has a more complex drivetrain, will be more expensive to maintain and probably get worse gas mileage. Friends of mine swear by Subaru but I think they are crazy. If I wanted AWD I think I’d look for a small SUV like a Ford Escape.
- yial 3y agoI really would highly recommend Infiniti's AWD options. I took my G37x to just shy of 300,000 miles with no major issues, and it wouldn’t get stuck until the snow was above its bumpers.
- PaulHoule 3y agoThat's like the Buick strategy. I don't think I'd ever get one of the premium brand cars new (e.g. Acura, Lexus, Mercury, etc.) but the premium you pay for a premium brand is a lot less in a used car than a new car. Also an older premium car is going to more technically up to date than an older entry level car.
- yial 3y agoI’ve never bought a car new. I usually buy 2 ish maybe 3 years old, with <30,000 miles but I’ll probably go a little higher the next time I purchase. When I bought the Infiniti though, my desired specs were based on price (I paid $18k when I bought my 2013 Infiniti g37x in 2015). Having awd, and above 300hp. My unexpected expenses have been wheel bearing replacements. But aside from that nothing major. My next car purchase is a convertible probably a bmw m6, or a Mercedes amg 63 s. I can’t get over knowing however that both of those are bad choices in cars to buy. So instead I’ll probably buy something with less hp, awd, convertible, and higher reliability/cost to own. If it exists.
- potta_coffee 3y agoSubarus have head gasket problems and in the community of Subaru owners it's just a given that you're going to replace gaskets pretty often.
- rpmisms 3y agoI'm from WNY, I was forged in the snow. Nearly every problem people have driving in snow is a skill issue, the rest is hills. Subaru does do a very good job with the symmetrical AWD, letting you feel overconfident and forget that you have awful braking traction.