[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Wulf67

I bought my previous house mainly because of the garage.

Them things look like ferin cars. That cannot be right. No Michigander would defile their homeland with ferin cars and then advertise i8t. Maybe they are just Chryslers that look ferin

[Coldjensens]

When you get your remote starter, do not go cheap. Get the better ones that have long range. Also have it installed by a really professional shop. They can really mess up your wiring if they do it wrong.

[nordwulf]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Them things look like ferin cars. That cannot be right. No Michigander would defile their homeland with ferin cars and then advertise i8t. Maybe they are just Chryslers that look ferin

It's ok to be jealous.

[UKUKUK]

New car day, today, actually -
Chevrolet Impala LTZ, 2009 leftover model, new, heated seats, remote start, traded in my old Chevy for it along with a fair chunk of cash, no payments Cut a fairly good deal on it, 25k$ fully loaded.

Last Chevy was still running strong at 200k!

[Cardiff Giant]

When we lived in MI I had a dedicated set of snow tires for my wifes (FWD) car.

I wouldn't want to live through a Michigan winter without them. The traction and stopping distances were like night and day.

[Perferator]

Originally Posted by Cardiff Giant

When we lived in MI I had a dedicated set of snow tires for my wifes (FWD) car.

I wouldn't want to live through a Michigan winter without them. The traction and stopping distances were like night and day.

Tire siping does that.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by Perferator

Tire siping does that.

Its also the soft rubber compound. As the temps drop the rubber stays soft. There is always a trade off, the tires don't last long if you use them hard in nice weather and on hard surface. I do the take off in summer game the first season with new winter tires, then the second year leave them on untill they wear down. I use Cooper Discovery M &S winter tires on my Toyota FJ. I like them better than the Blizzaks, and they are cheaper w/ better snow traction.

[kcam213]

Originally Posted by tulips4you2

I've lived in Michigan my whole life and I right now I'm driving a Dodge Avenger. I've only owned one 4 wheel drive vehicle & thats back when you could actually afford to fill it up.

Good point.

We have a 4wheel drive truck for the "just-in-case-we-have-the-blizzard-of-the-century".

Guess what, we have to MAKE ourselves drive the darn thing every now and then to keep the battery charged. The money it takes to fill it... 2 credit card purchases at the pump because it is in excess of $75.00 to fill. And the mileage is ridiculous.

I would just rather buy a gas miser and stay home on the rare really bad snow day. You would just save so much money.

My strategy to deal with bad snow days and FWD car...I go to work deathly ill just to save my sick days for snow days to use in the winter.

[kcam213]

Originally Posted by UKUKUK

Son of a mechanic who is sitting about 30 feet from the family garage here.

It's better to let it idle, believe me.

Notes for winter:
In snow, don't use the gas or brakes on turns, period.
Don't go cheap on tires.
Test your battery, make sure all is good.
Occasionally run an alcohol based water-remover every few tanks, I've found a lot of problems with water in gas in MI. It even lead to me having to replace some lines and a fuel pump at a price of over 400$.
If you drive an SUV, carry a bag of salt and a shovel if you go out into the boonies, chains help too and fit in any car easily.
TAKE IT SLOW! Never get confident.

If it's ice, rather than snow, don't go!

That is true!

I can drive all day in snow 4 - 6 inches in my little gas miser Honda Civic FWD. But I try if I can to turn around and go home when it is icy.

and in Michigan... that is a BIG problem... ICE. Don't look for white ice or even thick clear ice. In Michigan there is this little nasty thing called BLACK ICE.
It is caused the thinnest of layers of moisture from snow or ice that has melted from traffic or salt. This moisture then REfreezes and is very very slippery.

I have witnessed cars driving along side of me hit a patch of black ice and off they go into the median, or the guardrail.

You can't drive too slow or give yourself too much braking distance on ice.

And don't think that going to a parking lot to practice will help. It is ICE. Nothing helps not FWD, 4X4, sandbags in the trunk or chains.

[kcam213]

Originally Posted by darstar

Floor drains are a must, I have 2 very large ones in my new build. Plus , I put in 2 12' wide glass overhead doors.The solar gain in the winter is great, hardly need to have the heat on at all during the day, if its sunny. Having a wide entrence is also a plus, no worry about centering the car or truck, even have room for ATVs etc. I designed my garage first , then the house to go above it, not the otherway around.

That's funny. the last house I lived in had a drain built in an oversize shed (used to be a 1 car garage... the concrete pad was in the shed.

We wanted to tear down the shed and build a 2 car garage using the concrete pad as part of the new garage floor.

We were not allowed building permits because of the drains in the floor.
I guess the sewer lines run right through that area and we would be required to dig up and move the sewer lines in order to build our garage there. Some thousands of dollars in prep.

Also I was told they are sticklers about this because they are afraid that people will pour chemicals/waste from car engine down the drain. So no go on the permits for new garage.

That is why we moved to a new house with garage already built.