Originally Posted by spearfish25

Just remember these caveats:

1) A beater with old, non-winter tires is a death trap.
2) A Z with winter tires is a very capable and safe winter car.
3) A Z with winter tires will perform better than a beater with non-winter tires

The beater option keeps your Z off the winter streets but you're only safer if you still put appropriate tires on it.