what car in Boston in Winter?

[eli20]

Thank you all again @Restoguy: all precious info, thank you much! And...haha! - i just learnt about the rumor around the Subaru nothing against lesbians of course - it's just funny to be "attributed" without being so!

Now, snag with the Audi: you refer to the A4 in its Quattro version. I was originally thinking to the new smaller A3, and that....doesn't come with manual transmission, which is what i drive [speaking of European hang ups from where i'm originally from

BUT, great to hear that the clearance the Audis have is sufficient.

I was wondering whether was less expensive to buy a car here [Seattle or West Coast in general] or NE/MA/Boston - i'm not even sure it makes sense to bulk the whole area...more input welcome on this.

I would love to do the cross-country; only...if it has to be in the coldest months i'm not sure it would be the most pleasurable adventure...And i trust you're correct, shipping the would cost less.

Long story short. I haven't decided a peep yet. However, i'm working on landing a job over there as my top pri! :))

[firewrx612]

Far more important than whether a car is front wheel drive or rear wheel drive or all wheel drive is its tires. If you have to drive in the snow, get snow tires. All season tires are a compromise between a summer tire and a winter tire and are not very good in either. All wheel drive is great, but it doesn't help you stop. I would also highly recommend taking a winter driving course. They are typically offered through local auto clubs for cheap. I've taken several and I practice every year. These courses also have the benefit of making you a safer driver year round. Recovering from the different types of skids is mostly the same whether it's on snow, dry roads, wet roads or ice, it's just that you can practice the recovery techniques at a much lower speed (and therefore more safely) in the snow (just make sure you don't practice on public roads of course).

It's not just about snow either. A summer or all season tire is designed for warmer temperatures, as the temperature decreases, the rubber hardens and has less grip. Whereas a winter tire is designed for the cold and remains compliant. Your stopping distance will be much longer in the winter with a Summer or All season, even in dry conditions. On the other side of the coin a winter tire, will be very soft in the summer and will be too compliant (and will wear out very quickly). You should start thinking about switching to winters when the temp starts to get below 45ºF or so.

If you need advice on a good snow tire, I can give you a few specifics.

I have Subaru STI with Bridgestone WS-60s and it is a beast in the snow. Subarus are also among the safest cars. I'm a fireman and there are 3 cars that we need a special tool to cut the car in order to extricate a victim in an accident, Mercedes, Volvos and Subarus.

To sum up, far more important than car brand or drivetrain arrangement is getting a good set of Summer (specific) tires and Winter (specific) tires and learning car control.

Be safe.