Got my Winter Wheels put on today!

m4a1mustang

To each his own. Modern cars will hold up to the elements just fine, especially if you clean them periodically. Insurance will take care of any mishaps. As someone else said RWD + snow = FUN as long as you have the right tires.

Nice setup, OP.

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Mannysrt8

i love replacing my car every few years,would get bored to ***** if i had to keep the same car for more then 3 years,drive it in all weathers,its not a lambo,you bought it for 50k but its worth 30k now,20 k in about 4 years

bvl

The Cayman has snow tires ready to go. Cars are tools for life use and meant to be driven. Kudos to you for properly outfitting the Z. I would but I have the subaru for the really bad weather, and the Cayman as needed so the Z sleeps during the white season.

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red6spd

Nice. I recently did my winter setup, garaged and covered LOL. I understand not everyone can afford to have two cars but I could never drive my Z in the winter.

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m4a1mustang

I don't believe it's about affording to garage the car or not, I think it's just that some people view their cars differently and won't hesitate to equip it for winter driving and have at it. I totally understand both sides.

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red6spd

Yea true, but I car that never sees winter will always look better then a car that sees it. My Altima was 3 years old when I got rid of it and the underside/wheel wells looked like they did the day I bought the car. I don't know about you guys but to me winter is the most damaging thing your car deals with.

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LMBmikeZ

cars are passions not investments and I enjoy/drive the sh!t out of mine! But like OP have said 1.) the winters are harsher up here and 2.) It all depends on your personal preference on weather you want to drive it in the winter or not, like red6spd said a car that doesn't see the winter will look much better then one that does see the elements. Because I have a garage and other vehicles I can put my Z away for the winter and not have to worry. If I didn't have other cars and couldn't afford more then one, then I wouldn't have bought such an impracticable car for a DD. The Z is clearly not a practicable vehicle.

In no way do I see my Z as an investment, I see it as my toy that I want to have for a very long time! I also would take the Z over a GTR and most Porsches(unless its a 911). I love driving stick (so no Godzilla for me they need to make a manual version available).

By beater I also mean a car that I don't care about not a piece of sh!t. The Z I wash, polish and wax regularly keep it in the garage ect.... The wifes lancer and my pathfinder just get regular maintenance and a wash when they are really dirty so it comes down to caring about the car I guess........

just got rid of my 05 altima not long ago and it was getting rough on the under body and wheel wells. It was my all season/everyday car while I was enjoying the nice days may1st-nov1st in my Z32.

with you and I can see both sides to this, but when guys say there's no point in garaging the Z I strongly disagree with that. But all the power to them. Some people I guess just like switching/buying different cars all the time. I would rather keep one car for a long time and switch my DD every few years until I find one I really like. Should note that in the summer my Z pretty much is my DD as long as it's a nice day and I am not working somewhere that has a shitty parking lot (like gravel or dirt roads up to it).

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m4a1mustang

The key is that we continue to enjoy our cars. I know there are many people that believe you couldn't possibly enjoy your car if it was garaged for a few months, but I'd be willing to bet that most of us have spent lots of time just staring at our cars while parked in the garage. I don't store my cars, but I sure have spent countless hours staring at them while they slept in the garage... and it was fun because I'm a car guy.

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Ubetit

I see both sides. I have a beater Civic Si but playing devil's advocate...

I'd understand if you were going to keep your Altima forever. You kept it pristine.... for the new owner, who is probably driving this winter anyway.

I have two friends that lease Bimmers and Mercs. They lease them for 2-3 years, put Stoneguard on just about every surface, buy wheels and exhausts and crap, and one of them doesn't even drive the car but for Sunny days. WTF is the point to that? Great for the next owner but enjoy that car now.

cossie1600

Spot on, I got sick of maintaining the car for the next owner. Stoneguard? F that, the next owner can deal with the chips. Missing spare tools, keys, owners' manual, that's their problem. I paid all the extra money for a new car, I should get something out of it. If the next owner can find such a great deal in a used car, he/she should have enough money saved to get everything perfect.

You are absolutely right that winter is probably the second worst thing behind accidents. My two years old car from down south has less salt damage than my Z after just two winter storms.

I don't know why you talk like people choose to drive their Z in the winter because we can't afford another car. Has it occurred to you that some people just want to drive it and don't care about anything else? My Z lived in the garage for three years, it was recently pushed out because my wife's beater is simply worth more (25K vs 50K) . Plus after all the years of not driving my car through the winter, I am just going to bite the bullet and enjoy the car.

Oh yeah, the Z was designed partly as a performance machine. Since cars get dirty at the track, are you going to tell people not to go to the track?

LMBmikeZ

I am not saying that, I am saying that if they care a little more for it they will get much more (life) out of the car, if they plan to keep it long term. But all the power to you drive your Z, I want to drive mine everyday but CHOOSE not to so it stays in better shape and out of harms way. Enjoy driving it

As for the track, hell no!(the track doesn't get it that dirty, I don't consider bug guts an issue) Go to the track I don't care if my car gets dirty I drive it on rain days ect....just means I get to clean it and probably put another coat of wax on it.... just not on gravel/dirt roads they tend to be less maintained if maintained at all up here! The point of the car is to drive it but up here in Canada most of us put our "summer"(sport cars) away for the winter. With the car being lowered I would be plowing the snow if we got a good snow storm.

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cossie1600

I am sure most people who are on here now won't have the same car 10 years from now, let the 18 years old worry about keeping it running when they buy it used. I have three mild winters on my car, I don't see anything falling apart related to the winter yet. Some corrosion yes, but nothing that will turn it into mother earth.

Good luck cleaning these track/autox scars. You can do just as much damage on the track as driving it in the winter. They are just different

LMBmikeZ

LOL I really am starting to hate you! JK just different points of view.....

Those are scars and when I had tracked my Z32 I never had any issues like that

Also the winter rusts out the under body that is what I am concerned about. Those scars are a different story, if you get that in the winter then you probably hit a snow bank

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cossie1600

If a modern car rust in 10 years, you might want to consider a better car.

This is from last year, everything still attached...

LMBmikeZ

Looks worse then mine but hey to each there own.

If a car is driven 10years all year round I 100% guaranty you that it will be rusted all to sh!t on the under body! No way around it there is going to be more rust issues then with a car that was only summer (april or may till november) driven.

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