Having a car in the winter time. Is it really THAT bad? (how much, buying)

[Swisha2k]

Hello board. Originally from the Caribbean (and 10 yrs in Miami), I've never been in temps below 50 degrees. I've been thinking about buying a cheap cargo van (for business purposes) but some of my co-workers were telling me how much of a hassle the ice ,and having a vehicle during the winter, can be.

Would I really need to wake up at 4 am to warm up my car for 30 minutes??? Not to sound like Bill Nye but I thought gasoline couldn't freeze unless the temps dropped below -40; am I correct?

[myrc60]

It's not the gasoline that freezes, its the water in the gas line. Most of that depends on how old your car is. As long as I had newer cars and strong battery I never had a problem; but older cars can be a pain in the winter.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Swisha2k

Hello board. Originally from the Caribbean (and 10 yrs in Miami), I've never been in temps below 50 degrees...

You are going to be in for a rude awakening November to March.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by myrc60

It's not the gasoline that freezes, its the water in the gas line...

Yes. One of the best ways to counteract that is to keep your tank at least half full at all times during cold weather. 75% to 90% full is optimum though.

[MannheimMadman]

Originally Posted by Swisha2k

Hello board. Originally from the Caribbean (and 10 yrs in Miami), I've never been in temps below 50 degrees. I've been thinking about buying a cheap cargo van (for business purposes) but some of my co-workers were telling me how much of a hassle the ice ,and having a vehicle during the winter, can be.

Would I really need to wake up at 4 am to warm up my car for 30 minutes??? Not to sound like Bill Nye but I thought gasoline couldn't freeze unless the temps dropped below -40; am I correct?

I suggest you read some of the threads on "dibs" as well.

Otherwise, it's not too bad. Yes, it will be a shocking change from what you're used to, but you'll live. In the winter I usally keep an ice scraper and small shover handy for getting snow and ice off of the car and digging myself out.

[Lookout Kid]

Parking in a garage could solve most of your problems.

For me the biggest issues of winter street parking are: (1) Digging your car out when the snowplow pushes a bunch of snow on to your car, and (2) the reduction in parking capacity and road width that occurs when snow accumulates on the side of the road and sidewalk. It's also annoying when you have to walk through nasty gray road snow and slush to get to your car. And of course, you track all of this in to your car on the bottoms of your shoes.

So yeah, garages are nice.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

...It's also annoying when you have to walk through nasty gray road snow and slush to get to your car. And of course, you track all of this in to your car on the bottoms of your shoes...

I recommend wearing newspaper delivery and grocery bags over the feet. It may be unsightly, but it is practical,cheap (and 99% of the time free), and you are recycling!

[Lookout Kid]

I now have those all-weather floor mats in my car. That has helped control the winter deterioration a bit.

[j33]

Thanks for the suggestion. I recently bought a car and I've been thinking about winter, that is a good idea.

[Muppet123]

With a cargo van, main problem I see is that RWD royally sucks in the winter.