Do you love your family car? Pls let me know!

[Viralmd]

Originally Posted by cali_to_nj

The Highlander is great (I drive a Prius myself) but can get pricey pretty quickly as soon as you start adding features - navigation, etc.

Speaking of, I've noticed that the Prius craze has not caught on in Westchester, whereas here in Los Angeles every other person drives one. Perhaps not really a multi-weather car and not much room for all that winter gear. I have resigned myself to trading it in for a small SUV when we relocate this summer.

Keep your Prius. Why on earth do you want an SUV???? They don't fare any better in the snow. Mostly because it's STOPPING in the snow that gets people in trouble: both cars move forward in the snow, and the SUV might move faster, but there's no advantage to stopping. Plus moving faster is not necessarily a good thing. A Prius is better for the planet, anyway.

[bmwguydc]

Originally Posted by cali_to_nj

Speaking of, I've noticed that the Prius craze has not caught on in Westchester, whereas here in Los Angeles every other person drives one. Perhaps not really a multi-weather car and not much room for all that winter gear. I have resigned myself to trading it in for a small SUV when we relocate this summer.

Many people commute via train in Westchester, so they drive to the station, hence why owning a Prius is not alwas as economical. Plus, there are no carpool lanes where one can zip by the traffic, which does come in handy on roads like the 405, etc. in LA.

I agree with Viralmd, though, that I'd say to keep the Prius. It's not the best in winter because of the tires, and there are hills in Westchester. If I were in your position, I would consider augmenting the family fleet with a reliable AWD wagon or small SUV, such as a Subaru Outback or the Volvo XC70 (if you have an independent shop for the maintenance, since the Volvo is a safer vehicle), which I would buy previously owned since it's not a primary vehicle and can suffer the slings and dings of the train station parking lot in inclement weather. The roads in Westchester are generally very well kept, and are plowed, so you do not need the higher ground clearance of an SUV like a Tahoe or Jeep, unless you have a very long driveway and don't clear it. Even then, there would have to be a large snowfall to cause an issue. However, during a snow event, it is that much more secure a feeling to have the AWD.

Multiple vehicles is a very Westchester thing . You will find people who have a station wagon, SUV, or truck, that they keep for an eternity, precisely for the bad weather. Plus, you would be able to keep your Prius in excellent condition and not have to worry about the winter chemicals on the road marring the paint.

[cali_to_nj]

Viralmd - thanks for the input, I am totally with you. I would hate to give up my Prius. It works well for me in LA even with 2 kids and all of their stuff, plus the hands free phone and nav system are awesome. I intended to keep it but when I was out looking at homes in Westchester a few weeks ago, literally I don't think I even saw one. So I thought maybe there was some issue with the winter weather. I have another year on my lease anyway so we'll see how it fares, and if I also if I did get an SUV it would def be another hybrid - like the Escape or Highlander.

ETA: Thanks to bmwguy as well!!