370z and a winter car, what to choose?
 

Still looking around for a 370z. A major problem for me is the three months it snows. Are there any suggestions for a winter car? Is it as simple as buying the cheapest junker around?

Yep. I have a 96 geo that runs like a top. Its also great for driving into the city dont have to worry about it getting dinged cuz i dont care. Runs fine in the snow with some decent winter tires for cheap too. We had a eally mild winter so i ended upmdriving the z anyway. What are you looking for in the z? Year options etc?

Worked with a guy when I was in college that would just buy the cheapest junker he could find every fall and then ebay it in the spring. He even won out a couple times by parting the beater out in the spring for more than he paid for the whole car.

Personally I drive an '06 tC in the winter, rainy days, and for business travel.

I'm looking at a 2011 or later. Primarily because of the rear view camera (backing out of a crowded parking lot and I'd hate to lose the camera). That's based off of this thread @ here

This winter I wouldn't have had a problem here in Ohio. But if the snow comes down and I don't have another car, not a lot I can do. I like the fall/spring idea - I might end up doing that. Even if it's a $250 loss it's worth it to me.

Drove my Z at 9000 ft in the moutains West of denver all winter. Throw some GOOD snow tires on it and its as good as anything else in the snow.

Comparable to FWD or AWD? For work I drive an F250 super duty off road - very big, very heavy and AWD - reasonably comfortable in the winter with that thing.

I'll probably be picking up a toyota anything awd/4wd. Most likely a rav4.

My Z will never see snow, and especially salt. I spent enough time in WI to know what it does to cars that are only a few years old. I picked up a 2003 Cavalier 5spd for winter. Love it.

Something with AWD.

get a subaru beater.

See lakeshow's avatar pic for what to drive in winter :D

This year I will be rolling in a rusty '91 Pathfinder. Don't care list: Hitting anything except other drivers or being hit. Rolling over or spinning 360s on the icy roads. Worrying about making it to work.
$1500 piece of mind POS.

Got one, but my wife hides the keys from me. :)

i will probably end up getting a hatch of somesort by winter this year...

my G did well though in snow while running LM60's. i hibernate my hobby cars in the winter.

I got snow tires for my Z. I am ready to rock.

Snow tires on RWD are very good. Still a good idea to add some weight over the rear axle if you do have to drive in the snow.

Of course snow tires won't save you from the crazies in their SUVs.

Completely agree. So many don't know what they are missing. It's the TIRES, not the car.
This car is a ton of fun in the snow with the RIGHT tires. I have Blizzaks that I use in the winter and they are amazing. Even in several inches of snow.

I understand people not wanting to beat up their car in the winter... it's not for everyone. But you can still take good care of it. I bought my car to use. I don't want it to sit for months. Also, winter and snow are by far my favorite season... so I need it to mix.

^^ this.

even with the routine cleaning i did with the G this winter where we hardly got any deep snow (maybe 4-5 times), she still wore about 3x faster than being hibernated the last 7yrs. it's mostly surface rust but from a detailer's perspective it's very harsh as the bolt heads and frame show more corrosion than before in the wells and undercarriage (including exhaust flanges, etc). driving was not an issue. i ran LM60's.

other then that, no issue. my cabin is clean (used rubber all season floor mats dedicated for winter), paint is still clean, no accelerated wear on the top of the car. :)

I haven't seen a winter yet while owning the Z but I'm going to garage it and drive my 3000GT in the winter. The Z will not see road salt!

If you have no hills and if you don't have big snow for clearance issues then the Z would be okay for short distances on quality snow tires.

Nothing beats awd on snow tires if you're looking for relatively stress free snow travel or if you have hills or deeper snow.

I drove a crappy FWD geo prizm on studded snow tires and that thing was pretty much unstoppable, and I didn't worry about it getting dinged up.

get a ride with awd, sti would be nice

My Daily driver is a 05 Jeep Liberty 4x4 I only take my z out when I feel like a bamf

Yeah... it's a valid concern. But for me, it's OK. I take very good care of my cars, but I'm much less anal than I used to be. For me.. the benefit of being able to use it and enjoy it during the winter (my favorite time of year) far outweighs the rest. Personal preference.

I had 98 pathfinder as my winter beater. I bought it as a cheap junker just for winter. But I felt in love with the SUV! Not only I literally can drive it into any kind of road condition during winter, but also I could carry the car parts to the shop easily. Without it I don't know what to do with my body kits, full cat back, wheels and so on except calling for help... Now I upgraded the old pathfinder to 07 Xterra. LOVING it! Off road, biking, camping, towing boat no problem! IMO, you should get a different purpose AWD vehicle if money is not a big issue.

QUOTE=iam8up;1778330]Still looking around for a 370z. A major problem for me is the three months it snows. Are there any suggestions for a winter car? Is it as simple as buying the cheapest junker around?[/QUOTE]

Just do what I did: move to San Diego, end of problem. Left NJ (exit 16) for the left coast, life couldn't be better. :vuvuzela:

4.3l Vortec Blazer, for the sweet love of baby Jesus in the manger get a late nineties blazer. Super cheap, bulletproof motor, easy to fix, 4x4, amazingly comfortable and roomy, practical, and 21mpg. I love mine more than any daily driver I've ever had.

#wintercar

http://f-150svtraptor.com/wp-content...lue-Raptor.jpg

Paid $800 dollars for a 97' Ford Ranger. Had 100k miles on it and is in great shape :tup:

Gotta load up the bed with kitty litter of course for winter time driving.

nice truck! reminds me of my wilddagger RC car. :icon17:

This is an interesting thread... should I buy a beater or a nic eset of wintertires.......... hrtmmmmmmmmm

Actually when it comes to climbing hills RWD beats FWD. AWD is of course best but its a pretty common misconception about RWD. Especially a car like the Z with a near 50/50 weight distribution. When you hit an incline more weight shifts to the rear tires = better traction at the rear tires. RWD is fine on snow as long as you are careful not to loose traction. At the end of the day all the cars can stop the same and that is what truly matters....

beater is better cause you never know when someone else driving pos all season tires in snow/ice might come sliding down to hit you. so many cars i see in the winter with bumper scratched or dented in. :ugh2:

that alone convinced me i should get a beater again for my cars. we were lucky last winter we didnt get much snow. even so, so many fender benders.

Yea I'm kinda leanin towards a beater lol. Then I'll just sell it next spring. Sad part is there are beaters local that run that are cheaper then a set of winter rims for my Z lol! hrmmmmm do I want to drive an old pos all winter though?!

you could move to a warmer climate...:icon17:

Im late to the party, My Z is my DD but in the winter she doesnt see snow, I use my 08 Jeep, I suggest a beater for many reasons, one being who cares if u spin it out and hit something, two who cares if someone hits you, three it comes in handy having an AWD car with cargo room randomly. Many more but those are my personal top three for why I have a jeep.

Get a beater!

Haha. Yea i've been browsing the car classifieds in my area....

Its time to beater up!! Haha this will be fun.