I don't have a new 'Stang as of yet...but when I get one (probably in 06) I want to have a second vehicle to have around to drive during the snowy winter months. The salty roads in Ohio really tend to tear up your car's underside! That and its VERY slick driving a RWD vehicle in the snow!

So my question is... what is something I can pick up for 1-2g that would be a good winter "beater"?

I'm thinking a Taurus or something similar... FWD family sedan!



My current car is a 2002 V6 'Stang. It will (probably) be used as a trade-in for my new GT.

 

I want to look for something like a 1990 Jeep Cherokee for the same reason. By the way, the museum there is awesome. My family is from the Middletown area pretty close to there.

 

The USAF museum in Dayton is very nice! Anyone in the area should definately check it out. Not every day you get to see the SR-71 Blackbird or F/A-22 Raptor up close and personal!

For my "beater" I've also considered a "ghetto-sled" like a late-80s to early-90s Caddy or similar. Are they any good in the snow? And will they even start reliably in the cold?

 

I would like to have a winter beater, but think that I'll probably put snow tires on the stock rims and order a seperate set of rims/tires for summer driving.

Maybe WarBird69 can dig up some leftovers from 1947 at Wright-Patterson to make a beater from for us?

 

Shhhh... the aliens aren't really at Roswell, NM. They shipped them to Wright-Patterson to be analyzed. But its a secret!!

 

get a Volvo 240.best car ever for the winter. very reliable and great heaters. all you have to do is change the oil and put gas in it and youll be good to go.

 

I've got to disagree about the Volvo. I had a 75 245 and while it was OK in the winter it wasn't great. My dad moved to Ketchum Idaho after he retired. He ended up with a couple of Subarus, the second one being a Justy. I drove that car in the snow up there a lot and it was great. Narrow tires and fwd made it a perfect winter daily driver. Also very reliable.

Hey, no flame, but how bad are the winters in Boca Raton?

 

well there arent winters here at all, but i did have a friend in chicago that has one and we drove that thing in the snow with out a problem. I just have mine for a beater, plus im a tech for volvo and i can get parts cheap and i can fix it myself.

 

Anything with 4 real snow tires with studs (if studs are alowed in your area).

 

Paid 400 for my beater and drive it daily to work and errands, looks like crap but easy on gas and saves the stang. It is an old 87 s 10 truck good tires and a little weight in the back no problems in the snow.

 

You can get a Taurus for cheap around here in these parts, just make sure the front suspension is in good shape, apparently very costly to repair. They are 'dime a dozen, but are not bad cars, the resale value was diluted.

Another beater to consider on the cheap is a Cavalier (if you drive GM). The parts are cheap, and you can find them with low miles. There are a few at repo car auctions around here that are very inexpensive.