MPLS winters on cars??? (apartment complex, garage, car wash)

[BreaOC]

When I lived in Mpls I would be sure to get my car washed monthly or bi monthly (dependent on the weather, less snow = less salt) at one of the hand car washes. That way the car is washed and dried in a temperature controlled building. I also had a remote car starter, and kept the vehicle in the garage when i had one. Saved on having to scrape ice and the remote starter made sure i had a warm car on even the coldest days. My friends here in SoCal think the remote starter is so cool LOL. Most have never seen one.

[Slig]

Originally Posted by whitechocolate86

So, would my truck bought in Texas need to be modified for Minnesota?

The only possible modification you'd want to consider would be investing in all-weather or snow tires to rotate with your other tires during the winter months. These will allow better traction in snowy/icy conditions.

[moving123456]

Originally Posted by Iraqvet

How hard are the Minneapolis winters on cars? Does everyone's car rust out within a few years? It is worth having an Audi, BMW, Lexus, etc. in MPLS or do most residents have a "beater" for the winter. I'm just wondering because if you go to most of the southern cities, Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, etc., the people who have money usually go out and buy nice cars. Is this the case in Minneapolis?

I have never changed what type of car I buy based on if I was living in Minnesota or somewhere in the south. You will see plenty of Audi, BMW, Lexus and others on the Twin Cities area roads all winter long. I know very few people that switch cars for the winter.

[BillyB]

* Put snow tires on for winter, or use all terrain tires year-round
* Avoid rear-wheel drive in winter
* Wash your car when salt accumulates on it, and when the temperature goes from below freezing to above freezing to prevent rusting.
* Generally you'll want to wash your car once a week
* Install a remote starter
* Keep up on ordinary maintenance

[Doug Benson]

Many people have two or more cars..., an old beater to run around in during the Winter and a nicer car which is stored during the Winter months and is driven when the weather isn't so bad. Many car washes don't allow you to wash your car during the Winter months because they don't want the chemicals from your car in their drains. There are some full service car washes that wash your car inside if you're willing to spend a little more to get the job done. Wash, clean out your car's interior, blow out the moisture from your locks so they don't freeze, etc.

[moving123456]

Originally Posted by Doug Benson

Many car washes don't allow you to wash your car during the Winter months because they don't want the chemicals from your car in their drains.

It can't be too many car washes. I have never found one closed just because it is winter. I wash my cars a lot in the winter.

[looking for warmth]

I own a Prius Hybrid and got it in October, so i had it all winter long....
But my car did great, that thing pulled threw the snow better then my SUV did.... I was very impressed.... and yea salt sucks but I would rather be safe and wash my car later. And the Toyota place told me that they guarantee that they won't rust, there's some sort of paint on it to prevent rust from happening...

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Iraqvet

How hard are the Minneapolis winters on cars? Does everyone's car rust out within a few years? It is worth having an Audi, BMW, Lexus, etc. in MPLS or do most residents have a "beater" for the winter. I'm just wondering because if you go to most of the southern cities, Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, etc., the people who have money usually go out and buy nice cars. Is this the case in Minneapolis?

I prefer practicality over something designed to impress the neighbors.

It's just one datapoint, but I drove my 1994 Accord up there from the time I bought it in Richfield (1996) until my wife and I moved down here to Atlanta in 2004, and I'm still driving it. There is very little rust visible on the external surfaces except for underneath and inside the wheel wells, but some parts of the exhaust system has been replaced at least twice over the years. :-)

Salt causes a certain amount of corrosion, and some of the people who have looked at the car down here have found its Minnesota origins interesting because it does have corrosion in places which are not normally seen down here, but most cars made in the past 15 years do much better than cars used to in the same environment. My Dad used to get his cars treated with Ziebart rustproofing, but that isn't a necessity any longer.

It takes a while for cars to fall apart. Decades if you take care of them properly.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Iraqvet

How hard are the Minneapolis winters on cars? Does everyone's car rust out within a few years? It is worth having an Audi, BMW, Lexus, etc. in MPLS or do most residents have a "beater" for the winter. I'm just wondering because if you go to most of the southern cities, Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, etc., the people who have money usually go out and buy nice cars. Is this the case in Minneapolis?

Something else to add -- I used to drive an '86 1/2 Supra up in the Twin Cities (I don't recommend them for winter driving, BTW .. voice of experience talking ), and some apartment complexes in the Twin Cities have heated underground parking with hoses for washing your car by hand. I was lucky enough to live in such a complex in Bloomington, so I was able to wash my car all year long while wearing shorts.

Folks moving from warmer climates might not think about things like heated parking garages, but I tell ya it sure was nice...

[chilaili]

I bought a VW Cabrio (convertible) in St Paul in October 2001. It did GREAT in all weathers and I never had any problems with it. It stayed warm and toasty thro'out the Winter and handled the roads just fine. I think if you are conscientious with your car maintenance and learn to drive in the snow, you should be okay. Snow tires are probably a good investment.