Vehicle

[catman]

A bicycle is dangerous in traffic because it can't keep us, excepting of course dedicated bike lanes. I think a motorcycle is safer in traffic.

You'd probably be surprised to find out how cold 50 degrees is on a motorcycle on the highway. If you're willing to put up with the wind chill, do it! I used to freeze my posterior off riding from Denton to Dallas, about 35 miles, in temps in the 30s. I shiver thinking about it.

If that makes me a wimp, so be it. I recall a sentence from a letter to the editor of a cycle magazine: "I gave up my membership in the manhood-through-suffering club a long time ago". That sums it up.

[M3 Mitch]

Actually if you invest in an Aerostitch suit, good gloves, good boots, 50 or even 40 can be not only OK but actually comfortable, and that on a "naked" bike. If you get "all the gear" and find yourself a good older Gold Wing, you are good to go down to temperatures that I don't think riding a bike makes any sense.

That said when it's cold enough for ice to form on the road, I don't ride a bike. That's just my personal "comfort zone".

OP, you can definitely find a lot of older small cars down in Dixie, shop around and see what you like. I am partial to older VW cars, they tend to have more niggling problems than Japanese cars, but also are cheaper and easier to fix. When stuff goes wrong on old Japanese cars it's tends to be more catastrophic. I have old Japanease too, compare doing a head gasket R&R on the 82 Scirocco to the 87 Camry - The "valve grind" gasket set for the Camry will set you back more than having a shop do the 'roc for you. But at the same time the Camry will "stay fixed" for more miles.