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Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 7:03 pm
by Tullstone
Hey yall...
I dont know if this is a question for a finance expert, but I now live in Florida and drive a FWD sports coupe that will be destroyed by snow and is, I think, unfit for where I will be going to law school in Virginia. I want to get a subaru or similar AWD car that will be able to handle icy inclines and snowy turns...
I have a full ride scholarship minus living expenses at a law school so debt will not be much of an issue, but I dont want to be making payments on the car until I settle my budget at least after 1L year.
Suggestions? I will need to finance around 15k
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 7:08 pm
by kch3684
Is it a stick? They do better in nasty weather. Also it doesn't snow much in Va, front wheel drive is better in the snow, and if you're worried just get good snow tires. I drive a mini, in vermont, on dirt roads, you'll be fine in VA
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 7:45 pm
by Tullstone
Thanks. What do you mean is it a stick?
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 7:56 pm
by The Stig
have fun! hehe
but if you aren't feeling adventurous...
try this
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:04 pm
by IhateFoxHunting
It's VA, not upstate NY. You will be fine with a front wheel drive vehicle, so you will just have to find another reason in order to justify to yourself why you should get a new car
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:24 pm
by dudders
There isn't a law school in Virginia that gets more than 2 ft snow/yr. I know because it's finals and I just looked it up for you.
Appalachian/Grundy - 23''
William & Mary/Williamsburg - 6''
Liberty/Lynchburg - 18.6''
Regent/Va. Beach - 8''
Richmond - 12''
UVa/Charlottesburg - 17.7''
Washington & Lee - 22''
FWD is best on snow without AWD/4x4, and as long as you drive carefully on that one week a year with bad weather, you'll be fine. I'm from a far more mountainous part of the country where it snowed 500''/yr, and know plenty of people who never had snow tires or drive beat up '92 Hondas.
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:18 pm
by Tullstone
Yeah I love sti, but not at 90,000 mi.
Well thats encouraging news. Now I have no excuse to buy a WRX. Lets find another!!!
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:19 pm
by Tullstone
dudders wrote:There isn't a law school in Virginia that gets more than 2 ft snow/yr. I know because it's finals and I just looked it up for you.
Appalachian/Grundy - 23''
William & Mary/Williamsburg - 6''
Liberty/Lynchburg - 18.6''
Regent/Va. Beach - 8''
Richmond - 12''
UVa/Charlottesburg - 17.7''
Washington & Lee - 22''
FWD is best on snow without AWD/4x4, and as long as you drive carefully on that one week a year with bad weather, you'll be fine. I'm from a far more mountainous part of the country where it snowed 500''/yr, and know plenty of people who never had snow tires or drive beat up '92 Hondas.
Thanks, and Im glad to be your vehicle of procrastination! And BTW, its CharlottesVILLE!!!
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:25 pm
by ResolutePear
You're all a bunch of wusses.
Chuck Norris drives a Viper in the snow. WITH SLICKS.
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:55 pm
by kch3684
Tullstone wrote:Thanks. What do you mean is it a stick?
Not sure if you're serious...stick = stickshift/standard transmission as in not an automatic, downshifting on icy roads slows the car w/o using the brakes
Edit: 90,000 miles is not that high
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:09 pm
by haus
AWD is not needed in Virginia, I have been living and working in the Northern Virginia area for the last 14 years and I have only seen 2 or 3 days where I would not have felt comfortable taking a FWD car to the places I have needed to go (currently drive a Honda Fit, with a manual transmission). Also 90k is not that many miles, besides how much driving do you plan to do for law school? Are you not planning on living somewhere near campus?
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:10 pm
by HamDel
ResolutePear wrote:You're all a bunch of wusses.
Chuck Norris drives a Viper in the snow. WITH SLICKS.
Has ResolutePear ever said anything funny?
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:11 pm
by ResolutePear
HamDel wrote:ResolutePear wrote:You're all a bunch of wusses.
Chuck Norris drives a Viper in the snow. WITH SLICKS.
Has ResolutePear ever said anything funny?
I could care less. All I care about is whether or not I'm laughing.
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:16 pm
by HamDel
ResolutePear wrote:HamDel wrote:ResolutePear wrote:You're all a bunch of wusses.
Chuck Norris drives a Viper in the snow. WITH SLICKS.
Has ResolutePear ever said anything funny?
I
could couldn't care less. All I care about is whether or not I'm laughing.
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:17 pm
by ResolutePear
HamDel wrote:ResolutePear wrote:HamDel wrote:ResolutePear wrote:You're all a bunch of wusses.
Chuck Norris drives a Viper in the snow. WITH SLICKS.
Has ResolutePear ever said anything funny?
I could care less. All I care about is whether or not I'm laughing.
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 5:49 pm
by dudders
Tullstone wrote:dudders wrote:There isn't a law school in Virginia that gets more than 2 ft snow/yr. I know because it's finals and I just looked it up for you.
Appalachian/Grundy - 23''
William & Mary/Williamsburg - 6''
Liberty/Lynchburg - 18.6''
Regent/Va. Beach - 8''
Richmond - 12''
UVa/Charlottesburg - 17.7''
Washington & Lee - 22''
FWD is best on snow without AWD/4x4, and as long as you drive carefully on that one week a year with bad weather, you'll be fine. I'm from a far more mountainous part of the country where it snowed 500''/yr, and know plenty of people who never had snow tires or drive beat up '92 Hondas.
Thanks, and Im glad to be your vehicle of procrastination! And BTW, its CharlottesVILLE!!!
True story. Property brain fart.
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 4:22 pm
by StillHerexxx
I live in upstae ny and drive a metro without snow tires every winter for 4 years and have been fine. I think you will survive in va. If there is snow, just drive slow, easy fix.
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 3:30 am
by rolandgill
Please buy ford car.
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 3:37 am
by artichoke
Tullstone wrote:Thanks. What do you mean is it a stick?
R u 4 real?
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 5:41 am
by witorres89
Tullstone wrote:Hey yall...
I dont know if this is a question for a finance expert, but I now live in Florida and drive a FWD sports coupe that will be destroyed by snow and is, I think, unfit for where I will be going to law school in Virginia. I want to get a subaru or similar AWD car that will be able to handle icy inclines and snowy turns...
I have a full ride scholarship minus living expenses at a law school so debt will not be much of an issue, but I dont want to be making payments on the car until I settle my budget at least after 1L year.
Suggestions? I will need to finance around 15k
lol Virginia is the south, unless you meant RWD I don't think a new car is necessary
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 7:04 am
by Moxie
It snows in Virginia?
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 8:11 pm
by Hippononymous
Get a RWD truck and a sack. You'll fit right in.
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 8:18 pm
by vanwinkle
The one year I was there, it snowed so badly I couldn't drive anywhere for four days. It was mostly because they hadn't dealt with that much snowfall in 300 years and weren't prepared to keep the roads cleared.
It was also because my car had cheap tires on it. By the next snowfall I had better tires on and had far less of a problem. And it really doesn't snow that often there. Even then in that epic record-setting year, it didn't snow that many times. It just happened to snow a lot when it did.
Live near the law school, plan to walk if you can't drive, you'll be fine.
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 8:56 pm
by northwood
get a inexpensive vehicle to drive ( not a gas guzzler, low insurance premiums, etc). Now is not the time to tack on an additional monthly payment- and a FWD car is fine. A RWD vehicle is allright- as long as you have extra weight over the rear axle ( I drive a RWD pickup truck and live in NYS). Ice is your biggest worry- and sadly there isnt much you can do to keep traction. YOu need to have good tires ( all seasons are fine) and make sure your gastank is above half full if it calls for snow. Just remember to take your time, and give yourself extra space to speed up and slow down. In the winter what car you drive isnt your biggest worry- its how the other drivers in cars around you drive that you have to be careful about!
Re: Need a new car
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 9:02 pm
by Mike12188
FWD does fine in the snow. I drive a RWD sports car all year round in NJ except for maybe a few days out of the winter. You will be fine in VA.
EDIT: BTW if anyone is looking into buying a RWD sports car PM for details