2WD Vs. 4WD SUV (Dubuque, Keystone: buying, disposal, live in)

[ashcody]

Hi all,

I'm about to get a new car and I was wondering how well 2WD SUV's do in IA winter driving conditions? I've had a AWD Mountaineer (it was a beast in the snow!) and am currently driving a Dodge Stratus (it does OK in the snow)...I'm looking into smaller SUVs and came across a 2WD (front) Kia Sportage...just wondering how well it would do in the lovely snowy winters here in Iowa?

[jasperhobbs]

As long as you have good tires, FWD will be fine in the winter unless you live down a long gravel road where 4WD is required. 2 wheel drive vehicles would have a problem with winters anywhere where substantial snowfall occurs.

Jasper Hobbs

[Dport7674]

The last winter I spent in Iowa I drove a front wheel drive F-150 with no problems. Before that I always drove front wheel drive cars with no real problems.

[GraniteStater]

The best vehicle for snow is a SUBARU. I have lived in the snowbelt so I know!!!

[thtapler]

there's also an element of skill too.. if you have enough experience driving in the snow you can get by without an SUV. I've had a 2WD sedan for 5 years and never a problem. I also enjoy hearing stories about freak snowfall in Texas and so many people get into accidents over 1/2" simply because they don't know what they're doing.

[Mercruiserdr]

Originally Posted by Dport7674

The last winter I spent in Iowa I drove a front wheel drive F-150 with no problems. Before that I always drove front wheel drive cars with no real problems.

A "front wheel drive F-150" ?
I am taking it that you are refering to an F-150 Ford Pickup ?
If so I was not aware that Ford ever produced this one of a kind oddity.

From experience I can tell you that a two wheel drive SUV is nothing but an overpriced top heavy station wagon that gets bad fuel mileage.
You will also find that a two wheel drive SUV has a horrible resale and trade in value.

Having owned several autos with all ranges of drive setups and lived through to many Iowa winters I can tell you if ya gotta go when it gets bad , four wheel drive ya gotta have.
I live in rural southern Iowa where they wait till it either gets to bad or quits before they plow the snow off of the roads.
Almost everyone has a 4X4 at their disposal or knows someone who does , our lives may depend on it.

In the metro areas they usually get to work on the roads a lot quicker , so a 4X4 may not be so important, as I said it depends on your needs .
Like the old Subaru ads used to say, "its better to have and not need than to need and not have."

As for the little KIA mentioned above , I am not familiar with that particular rig , however my experience with comparable vehicles on bad roads were not good ones.
Some lighter FWD's are just squirrelly , Id recomend you do some info gathering before purchasing.

[Dport7674]

Originally Posted by Mercruiserdr

A "front wheel drive F-150" ?
I am taking it that you are refering to an F-150 Ford Pickup ?
If so I was not aware that Ford ever produced this one of a kind oddity.

My bad, I meant rear wheel on the truck and front wheel cars. Never had a problem with either.

[jasperhobbs]

I have an older Nissan Sentra FWD car that is basically my winter beater car. I have good tires and am amazed how well it does in snow. I live in Dubuque Iowa and we have had a lot of snow the last few winters.

I don't believe having a 4WD is required for Iowa winters. I always get a kick out of the first big snowstorm. Seems like I always see 4WD's in the ditch. People think they will go anywhere and drive faster than they should in snow. Slowing down is the key.

Then again if one is worried about driving in snow and want peace of mind a Suburu Outback is an excellent choice

Jasper Hobbs

[Mercruiserdr]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

The best vehicle for snow is a SUBARU. I have lived in the snowbelt so I know!!!

I have had Subes in my life for years , and you are correct , they are great vehicles with an excellent 4X4 system.
I to highly recomend them.
( I used to work on and rebuild so many salvage subes during the 80's and 90's that it was very rare for me to run across one that i hadnt had an intimate encounter with for a 100 mile radius of where I live.)
I was so good at changing the timing belts on the old GL and Dl models with overhead cams I one time ran across a family while visiting Mt Rushmore who had a busted belt problem.
They freaked when they found out the wrecker was going to cost them $150.00 and to have the belts installed $500.00 !!!
When I saw the Sube wagon with its hood up I went to see if I could give a hand.
After hearing their story of despair I told them if we could find the belts I had enough tools with me that I could change the belts right there in the parking lot.
I knew the belts usually cost less than $50.00 for both of them at that time at a NAPA store.
So after dropping the majority of the family off to do some shopping in Keystone The Pop my Gal and I went belt hunting.
Within twenty minutes we had belts in hand and headed back for the broken Sube unit.
A little under an hour later she was purring like a siamese kitten once again.
Total cost somewhere around 70 dollars , they insisted on buying my Lady friend and I's dinner , ( she handed me wrenches etc. ).

[jasperhobbs]

Do Subaru's have interference or non interference engines in them?

Jasper Hobbs