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supermagician__seriously depends on where you live and how you drive. having a car designed to be driven in the snow (subaru) beats the fuck out of a miata or a diesel on mudders, I can say that with experience. My buddy felt uncomfortable driving down one day so I drove his car (imprezza) for the first time and it was SO much easier than a truck or a car.
the most fun I've had driving in the winter was in a pathfinder of all things.
californiagrownA WRX on snows is fucking awful to drive in snow compared to my 4runner on relatively aggressively treaded all weathers. Same gas milage too.
OP, get a lancer evo... and a part time job.
supermagician__4 runners are top heavy, slow and really don't handle corners amazingly though so I really don't see how it would be awful, let alone worse at all. If the snow's two feet deep you'd be happy as a clam sure, but in a realistic sense a wrx works just fine for winter.
i love 4runners, don't get me wrong.
californiagrownIf you are driving fast enough in snow to feel the classic SUV top-heaviness, or its inability to corner well, you are a terrible driver and need your license revoked. Seriously.
Being heavy, having clearance, and having true 4WD with differential options are damn nice to have when it snows out here in California and Washington.
californiagrownA WRX on snows is fucking awful to drive in snow compared to my 4runner on relatively aggressively treaded all weathers. Same gas milage too.
OP, get a lancer evo... and a part time job.
GherbsThe only problem is when snow gets too deep aka like a foot and a bit of fresh
GherbsOP, get a subie or a tacoma
Titus69Dont buy a wrx if its super cheap, youll regret it. You might as well get a solid NA Subaru and at least learn to drive it in the snow before having a lot of power. Kids always just wanna move right up to boost and they cant handle it.
crotchventThis right here and if you get a na subaru you can always decide to swap im a turbo motor down the road for a fun project since doi g work to your car seems to be your interest. A wrx under 5k is pretty much guaranteed tonbe a flamming pike of shit.
Titus69Exactly, subarus are interchangeable. My buddys got a gc8 2.5rs with a flat 6 swap and its manual. But what Im getting at is OP should make sure he can handle the 140-160hp in the snow first. To many kids get $3000, buy a shitty bugeye and think theyre the shit doing flatspins in open lots then think theyre pro and end up in a ditch blaming the car.
crotchventI have an 02 manual forester and its great not fast but quick enough. Plus its always more fun to drive a slow car fast then a fast car slow.
californiagrownIf you are driving fast enough in snow to feel the classic SUV top-heaviness, or its inability to corner well, you are a terrible driver and need your license revoked. Seriously.
CaptainObvious.I think what he was getting at was in the non-winter months you're stuck with the overbearing weight and height of an SUV rather than enjoying the sportier feel of a car with AWD.
OP it really depends on the conditions you're regularly in. If the snow is hammering down and there is a risk of the freeway closing on you, will you risk it? If the answer is yes, you need something with legit 4WD and good clearance.
If you're not willing to go into conditions where you'll be driving in conditions that are road-closure worthy, then just go with an AWD car.
I'm looking to buy a new vehicle in the next year and I have had the same internal struggle. I'm going with a Tacoma or 4Runner because I like larger cars and I'm willing to risk road closures and severe road conditions.
Skittle.the driver makes more difference than the car itself, though the weight distribution and tires matter most IMO. i drove my old lowered RWD 535i with studded Blizzacks all winter in Ut and had the most control and grip of any of my cars I've owned. front lip sat about 2.5" off the ground, exhaust would drag in the snow and still never got that thing stuck. better grip and control than my '98 2.5rs with studded snow tires, or my sr5 Tacoma on bigfoot AT's. weight distribution and gear management is important, look for something with a standard transmission.
