Best/Worst Winter Vehicles!

[Chuck Most]

Okay- most of us are by now getting prepared to spend the next six or seven months of our lives shoveling snow and driving to and from work in four-foot drifts (a slight exaggeration, I assure you).

On another thread, a certain Mr. Pristovnik pointed out that a Mustang is not great for winter. A few people responded to that on that thread, but how about we open up a thread discussing just this subject- what were the best and worst winter vehicles you've ever owned?

Here are mine:

Best:

'98 Mercury Tracer

'96 Oldsmobile Ciera SL

'87 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera

'84 Jeep Cherokee Pioneer (4 cylinder, 5-speed manual, never actually NEEDED to put it in 4-wheel drive!)

'83 Olds Delta 88

'81 Ford F-250 (351/ 4-speed manual, again, never needed the 4wd, even in intermittent 3-foot drifts)

'80 Olds Delta 88

'75 Chevy El Camino

'67 Plymouth Fury (as seen on Mythbusters!)

Worst:

'95 Dodge Ram 1500 2WD (5.2/ 5-speed manual) I once had to get towed off of wet grass. True story.

'94 Ford F-250 (5.8/AOD) It ain't half the winter truck my old '81 was.

'87 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe (5-speed) Liked to go sideways in snow and ice- not forward!

'83 Dodge Ram Van (225 slant six, 4-speed) The fact it kept popping out of gear on it's own didn't help either!

'67 Chevy Impala 4-door hardtop (I'd rather not get into that...)

Now, what about yours?

Edited December 12, 2009 by Chuck Most

[B-dub]

well around here it doesn't get too bad but it does ice over often in the winter...

best

- 2001 ford taurus - hated the car but it sure was a tank and drove nice on ived over country roads

- late 90's chevy fleet truck (stepdad's work truck) once you put it in 4wd you couldnt make it go sideways it would just straighten back up when you stomped on the gas

-2007 trail blazer - .... had so much fun during last years ice storm in that thing... so so so much fun..

worst

-97 pontiac grand am - even with traction control this thing is a nightmare .. I hate it in the winter

-01 dodge intrepid.... what a crappy car anyways.. but I just hated it because it overheated in below freezing weather.. and didn't drive very well either...

[Chuck Most]

Oh... speaking of fleet vehicles...

The 2009 Pontiac Vibes (Vibe is Japanese for 'death trap') we're forced to run where I work. Same thing with the Grand Am you were talking about- once the traction control kicks on, you have no idea which way the damned thing is going to wriggle. You can switch it off, and it behaves the way you'd expect a front-drive turdbox to in the snow, but it automatically switches itself back on at about 30 MPH.

[JamesW]

Best:

1994 Chevy S-10 (current)

2002 Dodge Intrepid (still own but in the garage with blown engine)

1985 Chevy Cavalier

2002 Dodge Durango

2000 Dodge Stratus

1997 Dodge Stratus

1996 Chevy Lumina

Worst:

1986 Chevy Citation

1991 Plymouth Sundance

1993 Pontiac Sunbird

1995 Ford Ranger Splash

1990 Ford Taurus Station Wagon

1990 Chevy Beretta

1989 Ford Festiva

1978 Ford Thunderbird (only because there was no heat)

1991 Mercury Sable

1991 Chevy Lumina

[modeler]

98 ford escort that car was unbeatable in the snow

[Chuck Most]

98 ford escort that car was unbeatable in the snow

Oh yeah! That's basically all my '98 Tracer is!

Edited December 12, 2009 by Chuck Most

[Rob Hall]

I've had 3 main winter daily drivers vehicles in the last 20 years.

'86 Ford Mustang LX 2.3. My humble college car from '88-94, ...had snow tires on all 4 corners (on black steel wheels) w/ a couple 25lb bags of concrete mix in the trunk. Got around just fine in the nasty NE Ohio winters. Was totalled in June '94, two weeks after I moved to Ann Arbor, MI. Having this car allowed me to keep my '87 Mustang GT in storage in the winter. At times, I also drove an '84 Ford Escort diesel, great traction, but hard to start in really cold weather. Drove my Dad's '79 Dodge Power Wagon 4x4 occasionally also.

'88 Ford Bronco II XLT 4x4. It replaced the Mustang in '94, was quite good in snow.. a bit tall and narrow and sensitive to cross winds. Had it for 6 years, traded it in '00 on the Jeep.. Drove it in Michigan and Colorado winters.

'00 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4x4. This has been my daily driver since '00, been great in deep snow...plenty of traction. Drove through winters in Colorado Springs and Denver. The last two winters here in Phoenix haven't really needed the 4 wheel drive.

By next winter, I should be out of AZ and either back in Denver or quite likely Pittsburgh, so I'll need 4x4 capabilities again. Most likely, I'll keep the Jeep for winter and get a car for a daily driver...thinking an AWD car would be good-- maybe a Cadillac CTS-4 or Lincoln MKS, or get a new SUV--the next gen '11 Grand Cherokee.

[Brian Fishburn]

Worst:

1993 Mustang LX 5.0/5speed. F'ing nightmare.

1979 Z28 built 327/TH350 It sucked with the puny stock 350, too.

1996 F150 5.0/AT 4X4 with factory automatic hubs

Best:

1996 F150 5.0/AT 4X4 with the auto hubs in the trash can, and good ol' lockouts in their place.

1976 F150 360/4speed 4X4

1976 Int'l Scout traveller 345/ 4speed 4X4

1991 Ford Explorer 3.0/AT 4X4

2001 Dodge Durango 4.7/AT 4X4 (when it isn't having one of it's numerous electrical problems)

Ford Fiestas (2 1978, 1 1980) 1.6/4 speed

[RodneyBad]

Worst car I had for winter drivin was my

69 GTX.

Best car was everything I've owned after that.

They have all been 4x4s

Current runner is my 06 Suzuki Aerio SX AWD

AWD Kicks with a great set of studded snow tires but gotta watch out for snow drifts.

Edited December 13, 2009 by Zukiholic

[vizio93]

Best:

85 chevy 1/2 ton 4x4, 4" lift kit, 35" tires, 454. It would go ANYWHERE !!!

Worst:

2009 Chevy HHR. It won't go ANYWHERE !!!

Edited December 12, 2009 by vizio93

[Chuck Most]

...thinking an AWD car would be good-- maybe a Cadillac CTS-4 or Lincoln MKS, or get a new SUV--the next gen '11 Grand Cherokee.

I'd go with the MKS!

[Rob Hall]

I'd go with the MKS!

I've sat in both and test driven a 2wd CTS...I find both quite appealing. Love the interiors. Even thought about going old school and getting a Town Car, though I'm probably too young for one (my Dad was a serial Lincoln driver for 20+ years).

If I stayed in AZ, I'd get a convertible for a winter car.

Edited December 12, 2009 by Rob Hall

[randx0]

1977 cadillac seville never got stuck even in the great october blizzard and boy was it fun to drive on ice especially when I lost the rear brakes the front would stop but the rear wheels would still be spinning.good times .

[JamesW]

1977 cadillac seville never got stuck even in the great october blizzard and boy was it fun to drive on ice especially when I lost the rear brakes the front would stop but the rear wheels would still be spinning.good times .

That's EXACTLY how my S-10 is right now. I have a split brakeline to the rear.

[Nick Winter]

funny enough i was talking to my dad about this very subject, he had a '75 scout and said it never got stuck, he said he had a '72 chrysler new yorker that was like a snow plow, people used to follow my dad in that thing during a snow storm. my mom had a '79 caddy coup deville that she said got her threw many snow storms. those are some of the best some of the worst was my dads '70 Mustang with a 302, my mom's 91 ford tempo, and my grandmothers K car.

[randx0]

That's EXACTLY how my S-10 is right now. I have a split brakeline to the rear.

Makes it really easy to do burnouts doesn't it?

[Eshaver]

Sitting here reading these opinions reminds me of Motor Trend and even beyond that Car an Driver automobile reviewers from back in the 1960's . Oh they would laud any car built in europe or Japan as the next best thing since tennis shoes ! Give them an American car, Phooey ! Hey ya'all rock !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously !!!!!!!! Ed Shaver

[JamesW]

Makes it really easy to do burnouts doesn't it?

Yup, but it also makes it hella hard to stop when the front wheels are on ice.

[vizio93]

Makes it really easy to do burnouts doesn't it?

[Jon Cole]

Simply put, the rwd vehicles I have owned were awful in the snow. The fwd cars were better, but there is no substitute for my 4x4 Jeep Grand Cherokee. After ten years, I had to unload it just a few months ago due to rust. I liked to crush snowbanks in my neighborhood. Leave it to the snowplow guys to turn a two-lane residential road into a 1 1/2 lane road with just one snowfall. I would compact any snow that stuck out.

Now I have an '04 Passat W8 4motion. Had our first significant snow this past week, and I couldn't wait to try her out. Results- I like! But my snowbank crushing days are no more.

Edited December 12, 2009 by Spyder

[george 53]

71 Volksie Super Bug. Not a bad winter driver really, but the ###### heater was shot in it an my breathing would frost up the windsheild!. Here in Michigan, I've never had a bad handleing car. I just slow down and drive a little safer,more careful. NEVER had an accident in the winter. Just lucky I guess.

[JamesW]

71 Volksie Super Bug. Not a bad winter driver really, but the ###### heater was shot in it an my breathing would frost up the windsheild!. Here in Michigan, I've never had a bad handleing car. I just slow down and drive a little safer,more careful. NEVER had an accident in the winter. Just lucky I guess.

I hear ya George, there's no room for IDIOT drivers here in Michigan. I've had one accident in the winter, and that was my first winter on the road. A dog ran out in front of me and I TAPPED the brakes, the back of my Ranger Splash (fiberglass bed) kicked out on me and I slammed into a brick wall. Since then it's been smooth sailing.

[Harry P.]

Before my current car, I drove nothing but FWD for the past 30 years... so I'm kind of spoiled. I'd take FWD over RWD in snow any time.

[Aaronw]

Worst, hands down Ford Ranger 2wd automatic with a V6, that thing had trouble going straight in the rain.

Best... Oshkosh P80 ok, maybe thats cheating, it is a 6x6 snowplow.

Second place goes to my Toyota Landcruiser FJ55, it drives the same, wet, dry, snow, hail, blizzard, frogs. It doesn't go anywhere in a hurry but it keeps going.

My work truck is a Ford F150 4x4, it isn't bad as long as I throw a couple sand bags in the back. The anti-lock brakes are very nice when it does get a little squirrelly.

[MrObsessive]

Best car in the snow was a 1965 Dodge Dart Convertible I owned many years ago. Better even than my Saturn Ion Coupe which is FWD.

Worst car ever in ANY bad weather was my '69 AMX 390. A short wheelbase + high horsepower = a nasty surprise in rain or snow if you weren't careful!