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Anything Subaru makes will handle the snow and ice with no problem, but some Lexus owners prefer something they can have a little fun in. That fun thing would be the WRX - Subaru's all-wheel drive, turbocharged rally car for the street. More than your average winter commuter, the WRX is designed to handle slippery conditions at high speed. For a winter beater, it doesn't get much better than that.
Yes and no. Subaru's Symmetrical AWD systems are arguably the best car-based AWD systems in the business for handling slippery winter conditions, but NOT with the standard high-performance dry-weather tires that usually come standard on the WRX and STi. Even Subaru itself warns that some of the winter traction, with those tires, will be compromised. A wise choice with the WRX or STi, if you plan to do much driving in the winter, is to keep a set of good all-season or winter tires handy.
This is what I drive if its raining, snowing, or going down dirt roads. I wouldn't call it a beater, but it is being driven for what it was designed. None of my other cars get driven in any kind of precipitation. The only other car that does is the company car.
down here in FL winter beaters don't exist but we do still have our "other" cars for bombing around in. my daily is my 95 LS400 but my crap car for doing stuff I don't want to use my lexus for is a 03 kia spectra. and yes it is a true turd. I haul trash with it, move furniture, and anything that involves getting dirty. it doubles as a good pickup truck lol. ive always had a second hooptie car after my main one. when I lived on the coast I always had a beach car that could get trashed and wet with nothing to worry about. one of my more memorable ones was a almost 300k mile 2002 BMW 745Li that I bought for a grand. and yes it was absolutely TRASHED and looked like it drove through a war zone but it ran. it drove, stopped, and the windows rolled down. that was about all that worked on it still. oh and it didn't have a back window. but hey it was perfect for packing a bunch of people into and driving 3 miles to the beach in. never had to worry about locking it or rolling up the windows. id park it on A1A with the windows and sunroof open all day. it was such a clapped out bomb that nobody even bothered to steal the change out of it. didn't even need to bring a towel to dry off with before getting back in the car leaving the beach. it was a good dog hauler as well as construction stuff like cinderblocks and 2x4s. it didn't last very long though. only several months before the car literally burned up. other memorable beaters / beach cars I had were a black/black 91 Ls400 that was absolutely blasted by the sun that I paid $300 for, a 91 mercury marquis, a 92 buick roadmaster that only had a windshield, and a 1979 Mercedes 6.9SEL that was so rusty it left trails of brown dust everywhere it went, and the floors were so bad you could see the road moving under you, but damn that one was fun to drive lol!
Not much real "winter" in Dallas, but on the one day a year that it snows and everyone forgets any and all basic principles of driving, I won't take my IS350 on the road for fear that I'll be plowed into by a speeding teenager taking a selfie while drinking a latte while driving in the slush. That (and taking the dog to the lake) is why I have a 2005 4Runner Sport Edition 4x4.
I would totally love a Land Cruiser as a winter vehicle/second vehicle but they are rare around my part of the world. Just not that many were sold up here so the few that are for sale are in so-so shape and overpriced. Same goes for the 4Runner but to a lesser extent. In fact that was my first choice of vehicle about 4 years ago but I couldn't find any in decent shape/price vs value.
The one that hasn't been mentioned here and should be, is the Nissan Pathfinder of the 90's and early 2000's. Prices are way down on those and yet they offer great V6 power, AWD, ground clearance.
Originally Posted by mmarshall
Yes and no. Subaru's Symmetrical AWD systems are arguably the best car-based AWD systems in the business for handling slippery winter conditions, but NOT with the standard high-performance dry-weather tires that usually come standard on the WRX and STi. Even Subaru itself warns that some of the winter traction, with those tires, will be compromised. A wise choice with the WRX or STi, if you plan to do much driving in the winter, is to keep a set of good all-season or winter tires handy.
Just saw a young 20-something couple roaring around in theirs in the classic rally blue color and winter tires last week. They made a left turn on an icy intersection just like it was summer, no problem. Probably too confident for my tastes but I guess that's youth and a quick awd car.
I would totally love a Land Cruiser as a winter vehicle/second vehicle but they are rare around my part of the world. Just not that many were sold up here so the few that are for sale are in so-so shape and overpriced.
You're in Canada, right? The LC is already a very expensive vehicle to start with (here, in the U.S. here, brand-new, it typically runs 90K or more, especially with options). Canadian regulations, taxes, and other factors tend to make it even more expensive north of the border, though Trump's future intentions on tariffs may make some vehicles more expensive here also.
The one that hasn't been mentioned here and should be, is the Nissan Pathfinder of the 90's and early 2000's. Prices are way down on those and yet they offer great V6 power, AWD, ground clearance.
That vintage Pathfinder might be OK, but stay away from later ones.....the transmissions fail. There is actually a class-action lawsuit on that issue now.
Just saw a young 20-something couple roaring around in theirs in the classic rally blue color and winter tires last week. They made a left turn on an icy intersection just like it was summer, no problem. Probably too confident for my tastes but I guess that's youth and a quick awd car.
If they had done that on the stock summer tires, they might have wound up in one of two places.....either sliding off into the ditch, or spinning out into the curb.
This is what I drive if its raining, snowing, or going down dirt roads. I wouldn't call it a beater, but it is being driven for what it was designed. .
Has it been reliable? Land Rovers are plush and comfy, but often tend to spend more time in the shop than out.
You're in Canada, right? The LC is already a very expensive vehicle to start with (here, in the U.S. here, brand-new, it typically runs 90K or more, especially with options). Canadian regulations, taxes, and other factors tend to make it even more expensive north of the border, though Trump's future intentions on tariffs may make some vehicles more expensive here also.
Yes, in Western Canada. Very true about the LC. They cost a bag of dough when they were new and with the exchange rate at the time it was definitely a rich guy's winter-limo. I didn't realize that about the Pathfinder. The older ones are pretty much done - rusted out mostly. I was window shopping the other day and found a couple of the late 90's ones for barely $1200 - 2500 CAD. Maybe that's why.
Has it been reliable? Land Rovers are plush and comfy, but often tend to spend more time in the shop than out.
only a few little things like the fuel filler door latch. Electric parking brake had to be adjusted. Front valve block for the air suspension. Last year all new bushes up front at around 112,000 miles. Maintenance, and wear parts like brakes. The lr3 and lr4 are way more reliable then the discovery. Most complaints are about the air suspension. People don't take care of the problem when it's small so they end up overworking , and ruining very expensive parts. Like the front air block cost me $150. If I had let the small leak go it would have ruined a $800 air pump. It's been a really good vehicle for us.
