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#11
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Ski car?
gr wrote:
I notice several have mentioned manual instead of auto. Is this a benefit? My Odyssey was my first with traction control and antilock brakes, which were a giant leap forward for winter driving... so I wonder if manual vs auto is still a concern. Much less of a concern than it used to be, the electronics do help quite a bit. Terje (Our last two cars have been automatics, before that we always had manual trannies. It really helps when my wife is driving, it used to drive me nuts when she insisted on leaving it in 4th gear on the highway even when the engine was obviously crying out for some relaxing time in 5th. :-) -- - Terje.Mathisen at tmsw.no "almost all programming can be viewed as an exercise in caching" |
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#12
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Ski car?
I'm on my third Outback. It does amazingly well in snow. That said, as
others have mentioned, repair costs are substantial. It's an expensive car to own - keep in mind you are buying a "luxury" car in many ways with an Outback. But for me, it's worth the extra $100 or so a month to know that I can drive to Stowe and not worry about getting stranded, or go wherever, whenever in winter. One accident with a Honda and you've paid back that $1200/year of ownership costs, IMHO. Especially if it's an accident where you are injured and can no longer SKI! |
#13
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Ski car?
I haven't driven automatics for many years except for rentals (Mazda 6,
Fusion, Charger). The Mazda was easily the peppiest, but for responsiveness when needed, such as hill acceleration and engine braking - and beating the bratty kid trying to slide by on the right off the light :-) - I'll go with a stick anytime. Perhaps the CVT cars (e.g., Prius) matches it or more. I'd definitely not buy a Subie 4-cylinder AT. Gene On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:10:15 +0100 Terje Mathisen wrote: gr wrote: I notice several have mentioned manual instead of auto. Is this a benefit? My Odyssey was my first with traction control and antilock brakes, which were a giant leap forward for winter driving... so I wonder if manual vs auto is still a concern. Much less of a concern than it used to be, the electronics do help quite a bit. Terje (Our last two cars have been automatics, before that we always had manual trannies. It really helps when my wife is driving, it used to drive me nuts when she insisted on leaving it in 4th gear on the highway even when the engine was obviously crying out for some relaxing time in 5th. :-) -- - Terje.Mathisen at tmsw.no "almost all programming can be viewed as an exercise in caching" |
#14
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Ski car?
On Dec 15, 8:54*pm, gr wrote:
I'm looking to replace my front wheel drive Odyssey with an all wheel drive something. Any comments of which might be better in snow or reliability; Subaru, Toyota, Honda CRV? gr I love my Honda Element with Blizzak tires. Even with all-season radials it is a nice snow truck. It is steady and plows through ruts and powder with confidence. Bonus: I can sleep in it, even with a big ski bag. And it cleans up easy. Non-bonus: 25-27mpg. |
#15
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Ski car?
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#17
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Ski car?
On Dec 15, 10:54*pm, gr wrote:
I'm looking to replace my front wheel drive Odyssey with an all wheel drive something. Any comments of which might be better in snow or reliability; Subaru, Toyota, Honda CRV? We got way off topic here, so here's my car-specific comments (most with 4 snow tires): VW Passat - not so great in snow or slick roads Chrysler Mini-vans - surprisingly agile and sure footed Ford Focus - like a little tractor Pontiac Vibe - a little better than the Focus Toyota Camry - best of the bunch Toyota Corolla - surprisingly good with no snow tires BMW 320 - helpless Chevy Impala - pretty decent w/ all season tires Ford Crown Vic (yes, Police Interceptor model!) - pretty decent w/ all season tires |
#18
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Ski car?
On Dec 21, 8:11*am, highpeaksnordic wrote:
On Dec 15, 10:54*pm, gr wrote: I'm looking to replace my front wheel drive Odyssey with an all wheel drive something. Any comments of which might be better in snow or reliability; Subaru, Toyota, Honda CRV? We got way off topic here, so here's my car-specific comments (most with 4 snow tires): VW Passat - not so great in snow or slick roads Chrysler Mini-vans - surprisingly agile and sure footed Ford Focus - like a little tractor Pontiac Vibe - a little better than the Focus Toyota Camry - best of the bunch Toyota Corolla - surprisingly good with no snow tires BMW 320 - helpless Chevy Impala - pretty decent w/ all season tires Ford Crown Vic (yes, Police Interceptor model!) - pretty decent w/ all season tires gr- all of the cars you listed will be fine in the snow if you equip them with winter approved tires. Awd/4wd will be better than 2wd - if equipped with winter tires. Front wheel drive with 4 winter tires is better than awd/4wd without winter tires. The bigger difference will be frequency of repair, reliabilty & repair costs. The Toyota and Honda products are the ones that break the least and cost the least to operate. There may be a particular car from another manufacturer that can compare to Honda & Toyota- but not a complete line of cars. I would choose the Honda or Toyota that fits your individual wants and needs the best and buy it. Then purchase 4 winter tires and 4 winter wheels and go ski!! Joe |
#19
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Ski car?
highpeaksnordic writes:
highpeaksnordic On Dec 15, 10:54*pm, gr wrote: I'm looking to replace my front wheel drive Odyssey with an all wheel drive something. Any comments of which might be better in snow or reliability; Subaru, Toyota, Honda CRV? highpeaksnordic We got way off topic here, so here's my car-specific comments (most highpeaksnordic with 4 snow tires): highpeaksnordic VW Passat - not so great in snow or slick roads highpeaksnordic Chrysler Mini-vans - surprisingly agile and sure footed highpeaksnordic Ford Focus - like a little tractor highpeaksnordic Pontiac Vibe - a little better than the Focus highpeaksnordic Toyota Camry - best of the bunch highpeaksnordic Toyota Corolla - surprisingly good with no snow tires highpeaksnordic BMW 320 - helpless I have never gotten stuck in my BMW 330xi. Last year I drove three miles in 18 inches of fresh powder on a very hilly road. I had a big bow wave of snow coming over the hood, but the car did not waver. Our driveway has a 90 degree turn followed by a 20% grade for about 30 feet, again, for 7.5 winters the BMW has made it up every time. highpeaksnordic Chevy Impala - pretty decent w/ all season tires highpeaksnordic Ford Crown Vic (yes, Police Interceptor model!) - pretty decent w/ all highpeaksnordic season tires -- Andrew Hall (Now reading Usenet in rec.skiing.nordic...) |
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