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A good car for Maine (and snow n stuff)
Jasconius
sword criminalmad onlineRegistered User regular
sword criminalmad onlineRegistered User regular
My mom is moving to Portland, Maine. She currently drives a '94 Geo which will NEVER make the trip up the eastern seaboard.
We were planning on getting her a car real soon anyway, but now she needs one VERY soon because she has to move within weeks for a job transfer.
I want to get her something that will be able to deal with the climate in Maine...
Approximate budget:
~$10,000
Needs:
~ Gas mileage
~ Reliable and/or cheap to repair
~ an engine and four wheels
I was looking at getting her a new Ford Fiesta... that is plenty of car for her and I read good things about them. But I am not sure how big a deal snow really is up there, and whether such a tiny car can deal with it. Neither of us has really lived up north. I'm thinking a small sized pickup truck (like a Ford Ranger) might be a better option?
We were planning on getting her a car real soon anyway, but now she needs one VERY soon because she has to move within weeks for a job transfer.
I want to get her something that will be able to deal with the climate in Maine...
Approximate budget:
~$10,000
Needs:
~ Gas mileage
~ Reliable and/or cheap to repair
~ an engine and four wheels
I was looking at getting her a new Ford Fiesta... that is plenty of car for her and I read good things about them. But I am not sure how big a deal snow really is up there, and whether such a tiny car can deal with it. Neither of us has really lived up north. I'm thinking a small sized pickup truck (like a Ford Ranger) might be a better option?
Jasconius on
0
Posts
BIGGEST THINGS ABOUT DRIVING IN THE SNOW:
1. AWD or 4WD are best, FWD is a close second. DO NOT GET RWD
2. BUY SNOW TIRES
3. BUY SNOW TIRES
4. BUY SNOW TIRES
Seriously. This is especially true if she didn't grow up driving in the snow. They make everything safer and easier. Best idea is to get 4 on wheels so you just swap em out, but doing a tire switchover isn't bad either. That said, Portland has plows and is well populated, so it should be fine.
PS - Portland is a rad city.
Growing up in Victoria, I had about a week of snow a year. Now in Edmonton, I get 3-5 months of snow (it doesn't melt because it's never warm enough). The difference between All-Season and Snow tires is HUGE. But there is everything on the road, little Geos to Full size Titan trucks. It's about the traction, not the car.
And really, it should be a concern for a tops a couple days until the plow.
Portland is the one place in Maine that gets regular plowing (other than the old cobbled streets, anyway).
Pretty much this. Also, if you go Subaru, buy it where you are now. They'll cost more and be all rusty if you buy them up in Maine.
This is true of any car... New England winters are not kind to bodywork.
And respectable tires, as others have said.
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
Also, what others have said - generally unless you are driving really early in the morning the snow will be clear before you hit the roads. The only time things get really rough is during severe ice storms, but those are rare and you really shouldn't be driving at all no matter what your vehicle is.
Also, during severe ice storms the power will most likely be out and you won't need to get to work.
Yeah, before the Subaru I drove a Toyota Camry and didn't have any issues. Front wheel drive, of course, for any practical car. A few folks try to get around in rear wheel drive trucks with limited success.
But the difference when moving through snowy conditions between the 2WD and AWD is pretty dramatic. It's not a requirement, but if you can swing it (and you can get a nice used one for $10,000) you'll be set for years.
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
This could be the part where someone jumps in a points out Americans drive tanks, but that's not true at all anymore, so... Whatever.
Yes, the Fiesta will handle snow fine.
AWD is great for Accelerating in snow, but not stopping. Only snow tires will stop you.
If you want a ford truck get an f150 as opposed to a ford ranger.
I don't believe chains are allowed on the roads in Maine. Unlike western states, they salt the roads.
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/29-A/title29-Asec1919.html
Too true. But even snow tires don't really do much on ice. AWD/4WD gives a lot of folks too much confidence when they are not used to icy conditions. Going is pretty easy. Stopping, like you said, can be a shade trickier
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
Unless it's nasty black ice, snow tires still do a lot if you aren't a complete moron.
http://www.tirerack.com/videos/index.jsp?video=91&tab=winter
As someone who lived in Rural NH and skied in Maine for 15 years of driving, studs are just good for tearing up roads. Chains are useless, as you can't go highway speeds with them (Maine highways often involve going 60+ in a snowstorm). Number one thing is to use your brain to spot trouble spots and not end up braking hard on black ice (you'll learn how to recognize it), second thing is winter tires. The northeast isn't like anywhere in the west where 90% of people seem to go full-moron and go 30MPH in a dusting, as the snow STAYS on the roads (not the highways), and people actually know how to drive in it (some people, anyway).
Subaru's are indeed very common up here - an older jeep is a nice fit too and could be done in her budget - you'll see a ton of Liberties/Cherokees on the road. The only thing to watch for with cars is anything super low to the ground, the roads tend to take a pounding from all the plowing and winter in general so potholes/frost heaves can kill low built cars (and make you go through a muffler a year in some cases).
I do not recommend mini-sub compacts for snow driving...unless you load them down with sandbags or two fat friends everywhere you go.
You really don't know anything about snow driving then. If you know how to drive them, they work like crazy. I spent 6 years whipping a neon and a golf around NH and Maine with 0 accidents or issues and I drove in every storm. You just need to make sure to get skinny snow tires to cut to the road. The fact that they're so light means they stop when other vehicles keep hurtling forward.
Our Focus has done extremely well in the snow.
1. Subaru
2. Audi/VW
3. Volvo
4. Everyone else
FWD VW's are also boss in the snow, and my friends have had good experiences with focuses. Hondas and Toyotas don't seem to be that great for some reason, but they can get through stuff ok with snows.
other than that, both cars did just fine in the ice and snow. And that was with all-weather tires on. And I was also further north than Portland, up in Bangor and Waterville. I think Portland was about an hour or so drive south?
But yeah, if I'd had like a subaru or something, that would have been good. But often lots of trucks were the ones off the road because the drivers got too cocky. Just stay cautious, sane, and not overly douchebag and you should be fine.
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