Car shopping soon...advice?

[Irulan]

Here's my two cents. I've lived in Chicago, Wyoming, Colorado and have been in Washington state for 20 years. I've done it all 4x4, AWD, FWD, studs, studless...I have had toyota 4x4 trucks, jetta and toyota FWD, subaru, SUVs. Our current vehicles are a FWD Mazda 3 and a Toyota 4 Runner, both with a set of winter wheels with Blizzaks on them.

+1 to driving skills in the snow. The biggest one is slow the F down and the people some space.

4x4, yeah sure it's great and we use ours all the time. We have weekly ski trips and ski patrol duty when we HAVE to be on the mountain an hour before opening. Where 4x4 really rules is in deep snow.On ice they are no better than anything else; ice comes down to your tires and speed. We have the crappiest plowing in the nation, and there have been weeks when 10 days after a 20" dump we still haven't gotten plowed, IN TOWN. and a high clearance vehicleis the only way to get out onto the arterial. I think for your average driver who understands how to drive in the snow it's nice but not necessary. +1 to the false sense of security that some drivers have. I do love our 4 runner in deep snow though...

FWD with snow tires on all four wheels is just fine. The newer vehicles also have traction control which is a nice features. My mazda had an AWD option, but since I was interested in mileage, I did not get it. With good snow tires, (Blizzaks rules) it's terrific, even for ski trips with 6" of snow on the road. I had a Jetta for years, in Wyoming, with winter tires and it was great, had better stick-to-the- roadness than our Toyota 4x4 truck.

Subarus. Solid, very reliable, great snow cars.. However, they have the most uncomfortable seats in the world, and not the greatest mileage. They are getting bigger every year which I find to be hugely disappointing.

Snow tires. The new technology for studless tires made of super sticky winter rubber is amazing. The blizzaks we run on all cars are amazing; we'll never go back to studs. "All-weather" is NOT the same. Good winter tires are a worthwhile investment even though the first purchase will make you choke.

Other comments:
Traction control... many of the the newer vehicles have it and it's a nice feature.
Heated seats. IMSHO, mandatory in winter.
Side mirror defrosters. Really nice
Block heater, if you get deep cold, you need this.
Winter safety kit in the back of the car, needed

Underscore to learning how to drive in the snow. The best car won't save you if you don't understand the physics of snow driving.

Second underscore, some conditions you just shouldn't go out in unless it's an true emergency ( like taking someone to the ER)