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Winter cars

M

mkirsch

Well-known Member
Why do people drive the biggest pieces of junk they can get their hands on in the winter?

I know, it's so your nice new car doesn't get all rusty from the salt, but...

Winter is the LAST time of the year you want to get left on the side of the road with an unreliable car. Wouldn't you want to drive your best most reliable car when getting stranded could be a life or death situation?
 
(quoted from post at 02:31:18 01/24/11) Why do people drive the biggest pieces of junk they can get their hands on in the winter?

I know, it's so your nice new car doesn't get all rusty from the salt, but...

Winter is the LAST time of the year you want to get left on the side of the road with an unreliable car. Wouldn't you want to drive your best most reliable car when getting stranded could be a life or death situation?
Click to expand...

I don't know Mkirsch. I don't have to worry about that here in SoCal. However if I did live in a place where it snows and I wanted to baby my clean daily I'd take out my 93 Mazda 626. It has a trashed passenger side door so it's officially my beater. In fact, when I'm working on the ranch and am all dirty I drive that to make quick runs.
 
Recent vintage and low miles don't necessarily equate to reliability.

When I was in the automotive service field, I saw plenty of one, two, and three year old vehicles come in on a hook.

And the most reliable and trouble free car I ever owned was a '92 Olds 88 that I drove for 238K miles with minimal repairs. It never once failed to get me home.

An old beater '78 Chevy 4X4 pickup I have a snowplow on started right up yesterday morning when I needed to move snow after sitting out in zero weather for a week. I had to jumper my so-called "good" pickup.

I would think the people who own the vehicles are best able to judge whether a car or pickup is reliable and act accordingly.
 
Other reason being that there are a lot of "ice challenged" drivers out there just waiting for you to be their guard rail or stop sign. A big ole Crown Vic or older Suburban make good winter beaters.
 
Gees i drive my winter cars all year, both older vehicles, with peronality to them, some rust here and there, and a ding here and there. Guess i'm a lucky guy, no decision as to what to drive.
 
I haven't been stuck in a dead car or truck in over 30 years and never bought a new one yet. Hopefully, never will.

You must be very trusting of new car-makers, and also lack confidence in your own repairs?

I feel safter any time of year driving something I've worked on myself, or at least - checked out very closely - in my own shop with my own eyes.
 
By the way, if you trust your life to a new car - instead of bringing a heavy coat and maybe a few winter supplies in your trunk - you're a much bigger risk-taker then somebody driving an old beater.

This has tme thinking of the guy that drove off the NY Northway a year or so ago - in the dead of winter. He hadn't told anybody about his route, no winter suppplies -and of course - his cell phone wouldn't work - while in the middle of the NY Adirondacks. Hmmm. Big surprise. Now because of his stupidity - the state is pushing to get cell phone towers in every remote part of the woods.

So, yeah . . . great plan. Put up all the towers, have everybody believing they have cell phone coverage everywhere - and they'll probably go for 100 mile cruises -in the their new cars - when it's 30F below zero - wearing shorts and T-shirts.
 
Since I paid off my 2004 Ford F150, I purchased a 2004 Ford Focus so I can keep the miles down on the F150, and the Focus gets much better mileage anyhow. My F150 just sits at the house looking all pretty,..and I am ok with that. Just waiting for a nice day to "go for a ride". There is no rust here in Western Washington,..just horrible drivers. (I'm from Michigan)
 
My 1936 Ford is still rust free because I parked it in the winter.It cost 3 bucks to trans fer the registration to the winter car in the 50s.A winter car dosent have to be a junk.My 96 FI50 has 185,000 on it , still runs and looks good.The truck does what I need.Dont have to impress any one, new truck money stays in the bank.The truck hauls hay, grain ,lumber and takes my old boat fishing once in a while.My dog loves to ride in the truck, dosent matter if his feet are wet.He smears up the glass with his nose and even drools on the dash in hot weather.
 
Government must be thinking the same way because with all the increases in plates and insurance and the "new" cars battery drains when sitting, it is getting harder and harder to justify a winter beater.
P.S. I always did keep my beater in good shape mechanicly.
I just wish they would quit dumping all this salt and worse yet calcuim cloride ! I could get along just fine with studded snows and or tires chains.
 
they ARE on a waiting list for OPRAH to buy them a nice new winter car ,, She isnt doing a good enuf job by herself.... Wanna HELP . it will make you come to the reality of your frustration quickly ,,!!, "Mr&Mrs. HOWE , My wintercar IS MY SUMMER CAR" .. signed gilligan

if i had a new car i would not drive it out there in the salty roads , and risk some kid texting , "THE SNOW AND ICE IS REAL BAD " while sliding into me ....
 
besides , I have more faith in an old carburated motor than the EXPENSIVE modern B/S--t stuff, that is not anymore economical, ONCE YOUFIGURE IN COST OF REPAIRS TO EXPENSIVE LECTRONX SENSORS and AUTOMATIC SHUT DOWN UNITS , And they dont have any more power , Ever own a 93 F-150v-8??.Case in point 6 yrs ago ,, ditched a 94 Northstar Caddilac on the side of the road , IT DETUNED ITSELF so ICould not spinthe wheels to get out of the snowy ditch ! CouldA got Out if I KNEW that there was a overide systems button in the glove box ,, But Sum of us cuntry boyz are ignurunty a litle ,, Besides I just got the Car , And yuppy P Owner kept the owners manual for a souviner..
 
Old rigs are cheaper to keep in NY then newer. Insurance is cheaper and so is the annual inspection. Parts are MUCH cheaper.

By the way, calcium chloride IS one of several type of salts. Many areas of New York and Michigan use it (calcium, sodium, and others) all year round. I got stuck behind a salt-truck last August, in northern Michigan and almost had a stroke over it. I was driving my rust-free 94 diesel F250 that I purposely take off the road every winter to avoid that crap.

Here in central NY, the town tried to salt the road in front of my house last July, but I stopped them.
 
I drive a 1989 Toyota 4x4 pickup as a winter beater because in
winter, my 1992 toyota (the good truck of the two) won't make it
into the driveway for all the snow...I have her stuck in the barn all
winter.
 
I've noticed in the winter you see more vehicles on the side of the road.. That does make me ponder this point, but it seems fairly equal cars 10 years old/less to the older than 10 years vehicles. What boggles me is the cars that are abandoned because of what appears to just be a flat tire, any time of year.

I can say all of my trucks look like he!!.. but I wouldn't be afraid to drive any of em anywhere, any time of year..

I go for function, not fashion. If you can judge "mechanically sound" by the dents, rust, and faded paint, well, than you're better than I am. Shy of my recent starting issue, I think I do well on keeping up on the mechanical function. No one dislikes being "stranded" more than me.. All because the one time my truck did break down and dad came to pull it home (less than 3 miles from home.. turned the truck off at the gas station, would just backfire when trying to start.. sheared the "pin" in the Ford distributor somehow) I got b!+ched at for a month..

Paint don't make em go..

Brad
 
I guess....

All I know is that when people around here talk about "winter cars" they're talking about the cheapest, rustiest, pieces of excrement they can find.

"Winter beater" is what they call them. Maintenance? Why? It's the "winter beater." It just needs to make it to April 1st, then you scrap it at the junkyard or donate it to the cancer society.
 
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