New car purchase for NEPA conditions (for sale, home, live)

[greentown]

Originally Posted by notkaplan

I know I'm jumping into this conversation a little late but here goes.
I live in one of the highest (read- snowiest) areas of the Poconos- Gouldsboro, which is just over 2000 feet in elevation. I have never, in my 13 years of driving, owned a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The front wheel drives that I have owned have gotten me through some pretty scary stuff. I have the kind of job where they do not close, nor can I call off, because of the snow. The ony probem is that the last 1/10 of a mile to my house is a very very steep hill that sometimes I have to park at the bottom and walk. A 4 wheel drive probably would make it, but I'd say I have to park it (along with some other neighbors) maybe 3 or 4 or 5 times per year, so it's not that bad. It's certainly not worth the extra cost of 4 wheel drive to me. (and going down the hill, even if not plowed yet, is no problem lol)

I do agree with this. I used to drive from Greentown to Tobyhanna every day with a front-wheel drive Subaru and I didn't a problem. I also have the steep driveway problem and had to park and walk many times until the driveway got plowed. The OP would probably be fine with a front-wheel drive car if you are going to be on main roads, etc., which are normally plowed pretty well. When you think about how many days out of the year that you would actually use 4WD, it's hard to justify the expense.

[Riverside4ever]

I used to drive from Waymart to Tobyhanna everyday , We have an AWD Astrovan(1999) and a AWD Subaru outback (2003) Ive plowed through the snow and Ice of routes 296 and 196 with both . Ive seen Lots of cars and van go off the road or get stuck on hills .. If your on the backroads I would put the money to good use and go AWD .. you'll never regret it as you have no problems and your getting to where your going ..

[JCannon]

Another suggestion if your looking to stay cheap with a new car and a nice warranty and build quality is the Suzuki Sx4. All wheel drive 5 door hatch. Great fuel mileage and a peppy engine. I have a few friends with them and all loaded up neither of them paid close to 20. awd is standard! It's worth looking into.

[rcb1966]

I bought the Impreza for my son as his first car....living in Mountaintop/White Haven. He commmuted to Hazleton on a daily basis & in bad weather. Nary even a close call....firm to the road, handles excellently, traction unlike any other brand on the road....Volvo hired Subaru engineers when they re-vamped the XC70 & XC90. Highly recommend...Fairway Subaru in Hazleton gave us the best deal & worked with even when I haggled with them. Good car...good choice...super reliable & safe.

[businezguy]

Originally Posted by JCannon

Another suggestion if your looking to stay cheap with a new car and a nice warranty and build quality is the Suzuki Sx4. All wheel drive 5 door hatch. Great fuel mileage and a peppy engine. I have a few friends with them and all loaded up neither of them paid close to 20. awd is standard! It's worth looking into.

This is actually a car I'm considering. Do you think this is the type of car that could get 250k to 300k if I drive it into the ground? Is it known for being reliable?

[businezguy]

Originally Posted by scrantonluna

If you seriously need 9 inches of ground clearance, then I wouldn't be looking at anything but a Jeep product. The new Wrangers are nice but can be expensive, especially the four door models. The Liberty, and the Dodge Nitro which shares the same chassis, may work for you. They are not as rugged but should be able to do the job with a good set of snows. Obviously, you always pay for a vehicle that is a little more purpose built, and capable 4x4s will typically have a rougher ride and poorer fuel economy than say a chevy malibu.

If you will be driving on plowed roads 99% of the time, I'd be looking at a Subaru.

Just so you're aware, Subaru's are the best snow/ice cars made. They actually get better traction and handle snow and ice better then Jeeps, Land Rovers, Hummers. etc. That is because they have more clearance (yes then even a large SUV), and are lighter then large SUVs. This combines for better handling and better overall performance in snow and ice.

The reason I'm asking the folks here their advice is I'm trying to figure out if I can get away with a FWD vehicle to spend less on my car and get better gas milage, or do I really need some AWD/4x4 vehicle since I commute through all weather conditions, and commute quite a distance.

[Cougargm]

"do I really need some AWD/4x4 vehicle since I commute through all weather conditions, and commute quite a distance."

That will truly depend on the roads you travel, the elevation, etc. There are many times the Waymart area is getting heavy snow while it's raining or lightly snowing in the valley. Wayne county is very hilly and AWD is sometimes a must, especially when climbing Farview Mtn (rte 6) in bad weather. Put it this way, even with traction control and good all-season tires, our FWD Olds van had difficulty climbing hills locally in the snow while the Subaru had no problems at all on the same roads. The difference between AWD and FWD was significant enough that we bought a Toyota Sienna van this past yr, because it's the only van currently made with AWD. And the Sienna handled much better in the snow than the Olds did.
However, if you're commute is say, between WB and Scranton, you probably would be fine with FWD and good all-season or snow tires.
One other point to consider: quality AWD vehicles generally don't depreciate as much as other cars...but if you want to drive it into the ground, that's probably not a large factor...but then quality and dependability are.

[businezguy]

Originally Posted by Cougargm

"do I really need some AWD/4x4 vehicle since I commute through all weather conditions, and commute quite a distance."

That will truly depend on the roads you travel, the elevation, etc. There are many times the Waymart area is getting heavy snow while it's raining or lightly snowing in the valley. Wayne county is very hilly and AWD is sometimes a must, especially when climbing Farview Mtn (rte 6) in bad weather. Put it this way, even with traction control and good all-season tires, our FWD Olds van had difficulty climbing hills locally in the snow while the Subaru had no problems at all on the same roads. The difference between AWD and FWD was significant enough that we bought a Toyota Sienna van this past yr, because it's the only van currently made with AWD. And the Sienna handled much better in the snow than the Olds did.
However, if you're commute is say, between WB and Scranton, you probably would be fine with FWD and good all-season or snow tires.
One other point to consider: quality AWD vehicles generally don't depreciate as much as other cars...but if you want to drive it into the ground, that's probably not a large factor...but then quality and dependability are.

I do plan to drive my purchase into the ground, so resale value isn't relevant to me. Reliability, quality, and miles per gallon are all factors, but only to the extent that I have a vehicle that can handle my drive in all conditions.

To give a bit more info on my commute, I live in the East Stroudsburg area. The most challenging aspect of my commute can be getting out of the driveway and off my side road when conditions are very poor. The other 4 miles of roads I have to drive before I get to I-80 have a lot of turns and some hills, but nothing too bad by any means. Still, while this means my commute is almost solely highway driving, and I could most likely "get away" with a FWD, I have driven in some of the worst conditions this last winter, and when conditions were poor I was driving my wife's Ford Explorer.

I just wish AWD/4WD vehicles would get better gas milage. The difference is so large in fuel efficiency, and no car manufacturer seems to know how to make an AWD car that has more then 4 speeds (what's up with that?).

It's funny that we are in the year 2009 and yet some of the things the car industry does goes back to the 1970s.

[mathjak107]

im looking for a new car this summer...im torn between another xterra or another awd bmw... i love both vehicles.... the xterra is only 4 wheel drive and it certainly cant compare to the awd of the bmw on wet roads but it does have a locking differential which is a blessing to have...

backed out of my snowy driveway last year, didnt know i reached the snowy road and backed right into the rain channel on the other side of the road..... the xterra would have pulled right out but the awd bmw can not....

ill see what deals are being offered but right now there pretty much aint much.

they got supply back into balance and i was shocked to find not 1 dealer would discount the xterra a penny..... there are a whole load of useless big suv's out there you can steal but any real good performer in the suv class ls hard to get discounted... you can always go jeep which is great performer but if chrysler goes bankrupt say goodbye to your value..... typically cars loose 50% of their value when the manufacturer goes bankrupt ..... there are to many small suppliers of parts which may not stand a bankruptsey which may go away as well as your dealership thats near you... the treasury dept told chrysler that the proffessional quality polls like jd powers show chrysler products below grade on quality and unless someone buys them they are not viable enough to be a stand alone company.

[scrantonluna]

Originally Posted by businezguy

This is actually a car I'm considering. Do you think this is the type of car that could get 250k to 300k if I drive it into the ground? Is it known for being reliable?

Haha, no. That kind of bang for your buck is very limited. I have heard of Subarus going the distance, so I do believe that claim. I have also heard of Hondas doing the same, but not in the rust belt.

The only other 250-300k claim I would put my money on would be the Jeep 4.0, but that is just the engine, not the rest of the drivetrain, and they stopped making them a couple years ago.