Best/Worst Winter Vehicles!

[Railfreak78]

I have limited amount of drive time in snow compared to most since I'm born and raised in Phoenix. I did live north of Seattle for 3 years and our high country in AZ gets snow so... Best cars are by far my daily driver from WA: 1986 Toyota Camry with a 22r and 5 speed. Then 1988 Chevy Celebrity I learned how to drive in the stuff with in northern AZ. Worst ones are my 76 Plymouth Fury and 91 Dodge Shadow convertible.

[Tony T]

I live in Canada. We get snow. We get around. If you don't have to go out, you stay home. If you do, you give yourself extra time, and go slow.

Subjectively - Best: '85 Ford Tempo with new all seasons and a manual trans. Very close 2nd was '00 Ford Focus LX manual trans with 4 snows. Close behind, 96 Chrysler Intrepid base model with 3.5 V6 with 4 snows. Just was a heavier car, so had to take that into account in bad weather.

Worst: I'd have to say was last winter with my '00 Ford Taurus Wagon due to not having snows, and my tires were due to be replaced. Still didn't get stuck. Have new all-seasons, and it's great. It would be even better with snows, but that wasn't in the budget. I just slow down and drive to the conditions.

I had a blast with a '77 Ford LTD II Squire Wagon in the snow!! It was a tank, and was a gas hog, but it was able to make it through snow, especially with snows on the back!!

From what I have read over the years, you are best to put 4 snow tires on for winter weather driving. If you can only put 2, then put them on the rear, even with a front wheel drive car. Keeps the rear end in line with more traction in snow, other wise the rear end comes around pretty easily. I know it is counter-intuitive, but the video clip didn't lie! (You can probably find it on YouTube).

[Ryan S.]

Being in the Bay Area (California) we don't get snow, but I snowboard so I'm up in Tahoe enough to know what driving in snow is like. I drive a 2004 Chevy Trailblazer and I love it. It drives like a car, tight turn radius and smooth handling but the inline 6 that it's got really has some balls. I've got the 4WD package and I have never had to put chains on it even in some pretty aweful conditions, it just chews up the snow and spits it out.

Worst in the snow I've driven; my parents used to have a 92 Ford Explorer POS. That thing was horrible. Drove and rode rough, more like a truck. The traction and 4WD was rough and tricky to get in and out off. I just hated that thing. My 94 Honda Civic HB was better in the snow than the Explorer was. I don't miss it.

[Nick W.]

Best:

1984 Buick Century

1995 Nissan Altima 5 spd. (I only got stuck once but for 5 Min.)

1994 Buick Century (only had for a week then the transmission blew, but was just as good as the 84!)

1989 Buick Electra/Park Ave.

2003 Saturn Vue 2.2 5 spd w/ traction control (Current vehicle)

I have no worst vehicles yet!

Oh wait:

1988 Chevy Silverado 2wd (lowered with s-10 springs and cut leaf springs)

1989 GMC Crewcab Duelly (Had a solid 2000lb steel plate in the bed for traction.)

[Joe Handley]

Being in the Bay Area (California) we don't get snow, but I snowboard so I'm up in Tahoe enough to know what driving in snow is like. I drive a 2004 Chevy Trailblazer and I love it. It drives like a car, tight turn radius and smooth handling but the inline 6 that it's got really has some balls. I've got the 4WD package and I have never had to put chains on it even in some pretty aweful conditions, it just chews up the snow and spits it out.

Worst in the snow I've driven; my parents used to have a 92 Ford Explorer POS. That thing was horrible. Drove and rode rough, more like a truck. The traction and 4WD was rough and tricky to get in and out off. I just hated that thing. My 94 Honda Civic HB was better in the snow than the Explorer was. I don't miss it.

When Dad was still working for the rail road they had an Exploder from that same generation that was a company truck and he HATED that piece of junk! It was tipsy, underpowered, didn't wheel worth a darn (his Cherokee wiht twice the mileage would go more places along the right of way in 2wd than that thing went in 4wd!) Only reasons he ever drove it was because he either he was using the railroad's gas money or he had to take a licenseless employee home and didn't want the liability on our heads if somehting went wrong.