I totaled my car, what kind of car is good in snow?

[EllenFrasier]

We had a "Wintery Mix" yesterday. It was supposed to be snow flurries mixed with rain. Turned out to be snow mixed with freezing rain. I started out to work and it was a little slippery. I made it down to the end of one long road, turned right and started sliding again. I'd go a few feet and my car kept heading right. I was going slow, but my car headed for a telephone pole and from the headlight back to right before the driver's side door fell off and was broken. It was my first ever car accident in 30 years of driving! I really liked my car too - it was(is) a Pontiac Vibe. The lady on the phone at the insurance company said they may total it because of the high mileage - it's a 2005 with 118,000 miles on it. I've had it since 2007, bought it used from a small car lot near where we live, and we've never had trouble with it - but - it's never been good in snow. I live in the Northeast (NY) and we get some humdinger of storms around here. So if they do total it, which I am partially hoping they do not because I don't want another car payment, I don't think I'd go for another Vibe.

What kind of cars, suv's, crossover's, etc. are good in the snow? I'd be looking for a 2006 or newer, but I cannot afford $15,000! Dh's van just bit the dust and we now have a handy dandy car payment for his newish van.
Anybody like to recommend their car for snow and ice driving? Share your road knowledge with me. I did look up the Vibe before we bought it and people swore it was good in the snow.

 

[wheelcap]

...any car that is well maintained, has snow tires, and is driven well.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

I will only drive a 4 wheel drive vehicle and that is all I will allow my children to drive. I am on my second Honda Pilot and my kids share a Pilot and a CRV between them. I love them both and would highly recommend either. If money is an issue I would look for a used CRV as they are not that pricey new. Sorry about your accident but glad to hear you are ok. Good luck on the car search. Buying a car is one of my least favorite tasks.

 

[EclecticWAHM]

Subarus are awesome in the the snow. 4 wheel drive vehicles can be great, but I wish more people who drive them would remember that they're great in snow, but not on ice. It's 4 wheel DRIVE, not 4 wheel STOP, so quit tailgating people already! LOL

 

[Leajess99]

Subarus are awesome in the the snow. 4 wheel drive vehicles can be great, but I wish more people who drive them would remember that they're great in snow, but not on ice. It's 4 wheel DRIVE, not 4 wheel STOP, so quit tailgating people already! LOL

Yep, people driving 4 wheel drive vehicles need to remember that they still need to take it easy regardless of the weather. I have seen many 4wds wrecked because the driver did not take the time to slow down.

 

[shan136]

I love my subuaru forester, it's AWD and handles great in mixed conditions. However, my husbands ford escape hybrid, which I normally hate driving, is beautiful in the snow.

 

[sharlon]

I live in Western NC where we get snow (a good amount in the mountains) and it is very hilly terrain. That said, there are TONS of Subarus here. TONS. I don't drive one (personal preference), but everyone I know who has a Subaru loves it.

 

[bethy]

I've had 2 Subarus and I LOVED how they handled in the snow and ice and I loved their reiliability and low maintenence. Not all AWD systems are created equal, by the way.

I'd find a used one in good condition if I were you. I'd still own one myself if they made minivans or larger SUV's - I need room for lots of kids and carpooling, LOL. I now have a Volvo SUV and while it's wonderful in it's own way and more luxurious the AWD is not as good IME.

 

[meliss8599]

Love my Jeep

 

[Topper]

These are really good on ice:

 

[vicki_c]

Subarus are awesome in the the snow. 4 wheel drive vehicles can be great, but I wish more people who drive them would remember that they're great in snow, but not on ice. It's 4 wheel DRIVE, not 4 wheel STOP, so quit tailgating people already! LOL

I second the vote for a Subaru - we have had 2 Outback wagons and now have a Legacy and they have all been fantastic in the snow (used to live in Buffalo, so I know)! You also see them ALL OVER Vermont, another good indication I think.

 

[fuzzy164]

My 2005 Ford 500 AWD is great in the snow no problems being stuck. These are very reasonable used anywhere from $3500-7500 depending on options. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[EllenFrasier]

...any car that is well maintained, has snow tires, and is driven well.

I was going to let this comment go, but I can't help myself. It is not true. Not all cars are good in snow - some are too light and do not drive well in the snow.
My car is well maintained and I am an excellent driver - 30 years of driving and no accidents, even when driving in the snow. But I know when I am driving a car that is handling well in the snow and when I am driving a car that cannot make it up a slight incline in the snow (my Vibe). In the case of my accident, it was a mix of snow and ice about an inch thick and I was going slow...my car had other ideas though and headed for the pole. There were about six other cars off that same road that I saw after my accident. Even the police jeep thingy that brought me home said he was sliding on the way to get me!

 

[kkwis2]

These are really good on ice:

Hahahahaha! I enjoyed that!

We live in northern Minnesota, so we know snow! We have had several Subarus, and I am currently driving a Honda Pilot. I love both! I drove a Honda Odyssey before the Pilot and my ONLY complaint about it was that it was horrible on winter roads.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Subarus are awesome in the the snow. 4 wheel drive vehicles can be great, but I wish more people who drive them would remember that they're great in snow, but not on ice. It's 4 wheel DRIVE, not 4 wheel STOP, so quit tailgating people already! LOL

Hey fellow Coloradan! I know what you mean, I've seen SUVs with California plates (not the only offenders, but a lot of them) barreling down an icy road, passing me at mach 2, and then I wave as I'm passing them being pulled out of the ditch 10 miles later!

OP, I've seen Subaru's do great things, and we've got a '98 Explorer that has plowed through some pretty deep snow...

 

[Swimalie]

I will only drive a 4 wheel drive vehicle and that is all I will allow my children to drive. I am on my second Honda Pilot and my kids share a Pilot and a CRV between them. I love them both and would highly recommend either. If money is an issue I would look for a used CRV as they are not that pricey new. Sorry about your accident but glad to hear you are ok. Good luck on the car search. Buying a car is one of my least favorite tasks.

CRVs are All Wheel drive, not Four Wheel drive. There is a difference. I drive a CRV now and it does well in the snow. It's held up going over the mountains of Oregon without snow tires. It's held up to the 3 feet of snow we had here last year. We're getting a new car next year and it will probably be a Forester. I've heard great things about how Subarus do in the snow.

 

[monarchsfan16]

The key if you don't have AWD or 4 wheel drive is SNOW tires. Even my sister's puny little Ford Focus does VERY well in the snow with its snow tires on. All weather tires are NOT snow tires, and are pretty pathetic in the snow. If you do have AWD or 4 wheel drive, the key is to have good tires. If your tires are going bald, they're pretty useless.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

I live in central Mass with a lot of hills, nearly every house on my street has at least one AWD/4WD car or SUV- you are doomed on our street with out it. People around there swear by their Subaru's, my SIL has a Forester and loves it. In our family we also have 3 Rav4's (2004-mine, 2006-Mom, 2010-Dad) that have all done great in the snow/ice and with the hills. The '06 Rav has over 150k miles and is still going strong!.

Be patient looking for a used car if you have the time! I really went head-to-head with DH looking for a used car when the lease on our Pilot was up. Patience paid off, I found a guy who buys his wife a used BMW every year from his friend's dealership (lease turn-ins). He also has his used car dealer's license and gets more lease trade-ins and sells them. I bought her used X3 for $15k, $4-5k less than Kelly Blue Book. When I brought it to my mechanic to get a pre-inspection he said to buy it ASAP. That car weighs so much is like a tank in the snow!

 

[bear_mom]

I was going to let this comment go, but I can't help myself. It is not true. Not all cars are good in snow - some are too light and do not drive well in the snow.
My car is well maintained and I am an excellent driver - 30 years of driving and no accidents, even when driving in the snow. But I know when I am driving a car that is handling well in the snow and when I am driving a car that cannot make it up a slight incline in the snow (my Vibe). In the case of my accident, it was a mix of snow and ice about an inch thick and I was going slow...my car had other ideas though and headed for the pole. There were about six other cars off that same road that I saw after my accident. Even the police jeep thingy that brought me home said he was sliding on the way to get me!

Sounds like it wouldn't have really mattered what you were driving in those conditions, nothing was really going to do well.

I have lived in various areas of Michigan (even up in the tip of the UP where it routinely snowed 200+ inches and there was still snow on the ground in April) for all my driving life and have never had a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Some days are just not good for driving in.

Hope you find something that better suits your needs and that your insurance company totals care like you want

Emily

 

[DisneyNutMic]

Jeep. We have one and are in the market for another one. We live in Western NC too and while we don't live in the mountains, if we hear it's snowing, we go up.