Cars in St. Louis? (buying, luxury, living in)

[GameOver32]

So as I ready for the move from Dallas I am contemplating a new car as well. I wanted to know what everyone in St. Louis drives. Coming from Central New York everyone had Audis, Subarus, Toyotas, which make sense because of the climate. Living in Dallas now it seems as though everyone has an Infiniti, BMW, Lexus SUV (girls), and Range Rovers. I am leaning towards a Range Rover Sport but EVERYONE in Dallas has one so I have held off.

1.) What car do you see too much of in St. Louis?

2.) How bad does it get during the winter? Is a Cayman or CLS 550 out of the question?

3.) What car would you get? (excluding cars such as Bentlys, Maseratis, Bugattis, Ferraris, etc....we can only dream right!!)

[billiken]

Is this for real? Everyone drives luxury cars in TX, huh? Maybe I don't pay enough attention, but nothing stands out to me as a car that 'everyone' has in St Louis. I'd say there are certain areas where people are more likely to drive trucks perhaps, and wealthier areas = more luxury cars, but nothing stands out at all. I don't see Range Rovers too often, but I think that has to do with a general trend in gas prices. We get enough snow where I wouldn't get a rear wheel drive car--I really enjoy watching guys trying to turn corners in those. If you're gonna spend a ton of money on a luxury car, spend just a bit more for AWD.

[scocar]

Originally Posted by GameOver32

So as I ready for the move from Dallas I am contemplating a new car as well. I wanted to know what everyone in St. Louis drives. Coming from Central New York everyone had Audis, Subarus, Toyotas, which make sense because of the climate. Living in Dallas now it seems as though everyone has an Infiniti, BMW, Lexus SUV (girls), and Range Rovers. I am leaning towards a Range Rover Sport but EVERYONE in Dallas has one so I have held off.

1.) What car do you see too much of in St. Louis?

2.) How bad does it get during the winter? Is a Cayman or CLS 550 out of the question?

3.) What car would you get? (excluding cars such as Bentlys, Maseratis, Bugattis, Ferraris, etc....we can only dream right!!)

What climate is more suitable for Audi's, Subaru's and Toyota's?

[flynavyj]

my guess is he was referencing the AWD options present on some of those vehicles...particularly the Audi Quatro and Subaru AWD...Toyota, not sure why that's in the mix.

St. Louis folks tend to drive a bit of everything...nothing seems overly common. I probably see more BMW's and Mercedes than i do Audi's. I think you'd be fine with a RWD vehicle if you actually no how to drive and invest in a set of winter rubber that you swap out before the first snowfall and take back off by the spring thaw...might even get a few seasons out of them.

It sounds more like you're wanting a car as a status symbol and not necessarily for the joy of driving. If that's the case, just buy the most expensive thing you can afford and like. Range Rover would be fine, it'd stand out (I guess), and you'll be plenty happy not driving the same car as everyone else. If you were really planning on buying a car because you enjoy automobiles, mechanical engineering, or purist driving experiences then I highly doubt you'd have posted this thread and asked anything in the first place.

Also, it'll make differences on where you're going to live in St. Louis, type of parking you have access to, and how far yoru commute is to work. I've got a friend who drives a Hyundai Genesis Coupe with Summer High Performance tires, and while the tires absolutetly suck during the winter...his short 3 mile commute to work on essentially level, city streets really doesn't bother him that much.

[BoomBoxing]

I really don't think you could stereotype the typical kind of car people drive in the St. Louis area. I do think there's a midwestern practicality that lends itself to most people driving "practical" cars like mid-level Toyotas, Fords, Nissans, etc. As gas prices have risen I've also definitely noticed less SUV's and more hybrids, which probably is just a reflection of national trends.

[moorlander]

The first think you'll notices is that you won't see nearly as many trucks in St. Louis area compared to Texas. Also, in general, St. Louis people are not as flashy what I found in Dallas.

The rest is up to you.

[aragx6]

I definitely don't see a heckuva lot of Range Rovers in St. Louis. If you live in the city you're probably more likely to see a ton of smaller cars -- Toyota Matrixes (Matrices? haha), little Honda CR-Vs -- stuff you can easily park on the street and in small garages.

I don't think you'd look out of place with a Range Rover or really anything in the area though. I agree with Billiken that I wouldn't suggest getting a rear-wheel drive in this climate. Flynavy is right about his suggestions for how to make it work, but I don't think they're really worth it here unless you're just in love with a particular car.

Did you decide on a place to live? The Laurel? (I still want Pi ...)

[moorlander]

Drive what you want. Not what others are driving. We do get some snow here, but in my opinion it's not enough to justify buying an all wheel drive or an extra set of all season tires. Especiall if you work downtown and can walk to work.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Most cars in the St.Louis Area seem to be 5 year old, American made sedans and pick up trucks.

[moorlander]

In my part of town you NEVER see pickups unless they are work trucks.