Northern VA: Cars and climate (Winchester, Fairfax: rental, HOA, house)

[vishnu111]

I'm moving to NoVa from Ca and I'm thinking about bringing my car.
I have a few questions.

They say don't drive a white car where it snows. Is this because it gets extra dirty?

They say that east coast cars loose value quicker and no one wants to buy them because the salt on the road will settle on the bottom of the car and ruin it and cause rust issues as well.

They say generally the east coast is damp so cars will tend to rust faster.

I'm thinking about bringing a really old classic car there.. Should I buy it in Ca or buy it in Va. Will an older 70s car even have a shot at surviving the east coast dampness.. or should I just give up?

In Fairfax county, what do you do as far as snow and driving?

Do you ever have to put chains on?

Do you change out summer and winter snow tires twice a year? or do you get all season tires? I guess you keep a snow brush in the car!

Do the streets get plowed in a quick manner, unlike NYC where the good neighborhoods get their streets plowed quickly while the bad hoods don't.

[kutra11]

Dude, you worry way too much! Way, way, way too much! I read your post and I said to myself, "is this the same guy who had asked about mosquitoes in Fairfax?" A few searches later, my doubt was confirmed:Mosquitoes in Fairfax county. So yes, indeed, we have mosquitoes and snow here!

You keep saying "They say ... ..." but you never reveal your source! I am totally intrigued! But anyway, here's the answer to your post: Get a car that you can afford and would love to drive and be seen in! Most importantly, drive safely so you are not here posting on the "Official Reckless Driving" thread! This area gets about 15-18 inches of average snowfall every year. AWD/4WD and FWD handle snow and ice better than RWDs. We don't use snow chains and we don't use season-specific tires. All your other questions, in my opinion, are useless and unnecessary worries that tell me you should get a life before you get a car! Seriously, dude, learn to relax and enjoy life.

And I know you didn't ask, but you don't need a netting around the car to keep the mosquitoes out. Just mixing some DEET in the turtle wax will do the trick!

[billscamaros]

Wow ....

Well, I'd say that the DC/Northern Virginia area isn't bad as far as winter and snow goes. This year has been exceptionally mild with temps in the 40's and 50's thru the days. We've only had minimal snow that hasn't had much impact on roads or traffic. Snow is either feast or famine here, in my opinion .... either we get a couple of inches that muck traffic up for a few hours, or it snows 30 inches and everything shuts down. On average, a huge snowfall occurs less than once a year. When it does happen ..... just plan to stay home ... it's easy. (If a huge snowfall is predicted however, you're going to feel compelled to run to the grocery store and buy a years worth of toilet paper and milk, only because that's all your neighbors will be talking about. Got me .... but it's the thing to do here.) Winter snow here really isn't a big deal.

Again ... in my opinion .... ice is a little more of a problem here than snow. And that's a slow down and take extra time thing. I don't believe that the road crews use much salt anymore, so I don't believe that you'll have a rust problem. Typically everything melts and the road spray will clean the underside of your car.

Re: the 70's car .... as long as you can hop into traffic and get up to speed quickly, you should be fine. I daily drove a '69 Camaro for a few years (admittedly a decade ago) without any problems (rust or otherwise). Northern Virginia has annual safety inspections and you have to pass an emissions test. I didn't encounter any issues with these inspections with my old car, but again that was 10 years ago. I've sinced moved to the edge of WV and only have to complete the annual safety inspection.

I've never used chains and I routinely buy all season tires for my cars. Yes, scraper and snow brush thru the winter months. Buy a snow shovel before any snow is forecasted ... because afterwards Home Depot will be sold out. Generally all of the main roads are cleaned off pretty quickly, sometimes the secondary roads and neighborhoods take some time to be cleaned. Someone else will have to advise about the good 'hoods vice the bad 'hoods ..... I don't think that NOVA has any bad 'hoods.

No idea on the white car and snow connection. The Mid-Atlantic area gets humid during the summer months. The humidity falls off during the winter months. Your post makes it seem like you think this place is dripping wet or something! Maybe the person advising you doesn't want you to move?

Hope that you enjoy your time in VA!!

[ChristineVA]

On the white car stuff--I just bought one. I thought black was bad. White gets dirty very easily. When it rains, you see that the rain is actually a charcoal gray color--all over your white car. Yuck.

[oneasterisk]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

On the white car stuff--I just bought one. I thought black was bad. White gets dirty very easily. When it rains, you see that the rain is actually a charcoal gray color--all over your white car. Yuck.

And in the spring it'll become a lovely yellow

Maybe they say not to drive a white car in the snow because it becomes invisible in a white out? Don't worry, after it stops snowing it'll be a beautiful brown and speckled black just like everything else.

No clue about resale value, but you do have to watch out for excessive rust. VA isn't nearly as bad as the vehicles from the NE like PA, NY, VT etc. They get a ton more snow than the mid-atlantic.

I don't know about dampness, but this area is a lot more humid than CA.

I've lived here since 1989 and I've never seen anyone running chains in a snow storm in this area.

I don't have dedicated snow tires. I just use all seasons. I have an 4WD SUV so with it's AT tires I don't have any issues in the snow.

Main roads get plowed quickly. It's the individual neighborhood streets that lag behind. Some neighborhoods the HOA contracts a company so it depends on who they use. Other neighborhoods, VDOT is responsible for the plowing and they also subcontract it out. It's just hit or miss it seems. I was staying at my rental unit and VDOT did a great job during Snowmageddon. They even had bob cats working the street along with regular snow plows.

At my regular house the plowing was less than ideal. The plows were slow to get in our neighborhood and by then cars had been driving on it so it was compacted. When they plowed they got the top layer but there was still a 6" layer of compacted snow/ice that you had to bump around on. Our BOCS lives across the street from us and we mentioned it to him and he wasn't pleased either.

[michgc]

No reason to get snow tires or chains. When it snows in NoVA, everything shuts down! ;-)

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by vishnu111

They say don't drive a white car where it snows. Is this because it gets extra dirty?

When it snows, it gets wet. That means there's water produced from the snow. Water mixes with dirt (found on roads you drive on). So yes, a white car gets "extra" dirty -- not because of any "extra" dirt (we're all sharing the dirt at this point) but because white anything will show dirt moreso than non-white anything.

They say that east coast cars loose value quicker and no one wants to buy them because the salt on the road will settle on the bottom of the car and ruin it and cause rust issues as well.

Yes, cars driven in areas with snow have a shorter shelf-life than cars in a tempered, drier climate. When I was in Mexico, I saw lots of 1960s-70s Volkswagon beetles (still wish I had mine . . .)

I'm thinking about bringing a really old classic car there.. Should I buy it in Ca or buy it in Va. Will an older 70s car even have a shot at surviving the east coast dampness.. or should I just give up?

Are you bringing a car you already own or buying one? Seems like if you are moving, the best thing is to move one less, gigantic item (like a car) and buy it when you arrive. As far as a 70s car "surviving" -- depends how well you take car of it. Out where I live (Winchester, VA) there are classic car enthusiasts here and I have seen a range of 1940s trucks to 1960s sports cars.

Do you ever have to put chains on?

Only if you want to. However, for the most part, it isn't necessary.

Do you change out summer and winter snow tires twice a year? or do you get all season tires?

Seasonals. Changing out went out a few decades ago.

I guess you keep a snow brush in the car!

Personally, I do. But you can leave the snow brush in the foyer closet, garage, wherever until the winter time. If you're at home, a broom works just as well.

Do the streets get plowed in a quick manner, unlike NYC where the good neighborhoods get their streets plowed quickly while the bad hoods don't.

How do you know this? From watching too much TV? Next time I am in a NoVA hood, I'll have to ask someone (before I get car jacked).

[Carlingtonian]

They say don't drive a white car where it snows. Is this because it gets extra dirty?

Probably, but it doesn't snow that much here, usually. Your car's gonna get a lot dirtier than it gets out there in sunny CA--but that's more due to rain and pollen.

Will an older 70s car even have a shot at surviving the east coast dampness.. or should I just give up?

Yup, cars rust a lot out here due to the salt. As to owning a classic, I think you could preserve it IF you completely avoid driving it in the winter and keep it garaged. Any non-galvanized steel body is going to be full of holes in a few years if you drive it here in the winter.


Do you ever have to put chains on?

No one does that here. Not enough snow. Snow tires are a good idea, but our winters vary so much; a couple of years ago, we got several HUGE snowfalls. This year--a mere dusting, once.

Do you change out summer and winter snow tires twice a year? or do you get all season tires? I guess you keep a snow brush in the car!

I've done it, but it's a crapshoot as to whether it'll be worth it. Yes on the snow brush.

Do the streets get plowed in a quick manner, unlike NYC where the good neighborhoods get their streets plowed quickly while the bad hoods don't.

The bigger streets get plowed. The smaller residential streets are usually last to get plowed.

The main piece of advice I can give you in driving on snow is: Slow way down, and do not ride the brakes. Most people here seem to forget that you can slow down by just taking your foot off the gas pedal. You can also (going downhill) put it in a lower (higher-revving) gear, using engine braking.

Good luck!

[SallyField]

+1 on worrying too much. I've seen plenty of older classic cars than 1970s cars in pristine condition on our roads, so I'm sure you'll be fine.

FWIW, black (and dark colored) cars show dirt more than any other color, and there are just as many white cars here as there are in CA. I suppose cars may rust faster here, but people keep them very clean and there's a lot of money in the area so you see very few rust buckets on the roads. Our family swaps winter and summer tires, but only because we have sporty cars with "summer only" tires that don't do well in the cold. Most people use all seasons all year round. The snow here is not bad at all (it usually snows 2 or 3 times a winter, but it hasn't even snowed this year). When it does snow, everything shuts down so you don't need to drive anywhere anyway.

[jillabean]

Most of the questions were answered, but I wanted to let the OP know that he or she is hearing a lot of misconceptions that people on the West Coast make about the East Coast (and don't worry, there just as many East Coast misconceptions about the West). I lived in San Diego for 3 years and to hear people talk, you'd think it was perpetual winter out here or the mosquitos were the size of small birds, lol. But back here, people seem to assume all of California is like the LA/Orange county area, etc.

So don't worry, when you get here, you are going to wonder what all the fuss was about.