Getting new ride the Mtns.

[severine]

My Subie Outback was made in Indiana and my Silverdao was made in Detroit, however I'm typing this on a puter that was made in China so we can try to buy things made in America but in many cases it's very dificult.
Buying a vehicle that you like you like, for whatever reason, is the way to go IMHO. Many drive several hours to ski, it should be in a vehicle of your choosing, one that works for you with maybe a little bit of enjoyment mixed in.

:beer: Well put.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

I've had 3 Audis and love em, never had any issues at all (knock on wood) the new Subie outback has been turning my head, I know alot of Audi Allroad oweners have migrated over to the outback as Audi is no longer making the Allroad (replaced it with the Q7)

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

the key to any awd/4wd system is the tires....like boots for a skiier...i have friends who live in the mountains of Austra and they drive RRD BMW's with dedicated snow tires and manny tranny.....would you run a marathon in flip flops???

 

[awf170]

would you run a marathon in flip flops???

No, but I bet a Kenyan could still kick my ass even with flip flops.

 

[mlctvt]

the key to any awd/4wd system is the tires....like boots for a skiier...i have friends who live in the mountains of Austra and they drive RRD BMW's with dedicated snow tires and manny tranny.....would you run a marathon in flip flops???

100% correct answer. Most people run "all season" tires which are not good in the snow and not good in the dry summer heat. They're a compromise that excel at neither, I can't stand them. I always purchase a second set of rims with dedicated real snow tires then I'll run summer performance tires on another set. I'm shocked that people will spend $30K on a car but bawk at spending another $800-1K on a second tire set, especially people who travel north to ski. Snow tires on a Subaru or Audi will get you anywhere. Last year my wife intentionally drove her WRX off the road into a snow drift. I said what are you doing, "oh just testing how these good these tires really are" the car just pulled right out with no wheelspin at all, it's just amazing with four snows.

 

[kingslug]

100% correct answer. Most people run "all season" tires which are not good in the snow and not good in the dry summer heat. They're a compromise that excel at neither, I can't stand them. I always purchase a second set of rims with dedicated real snow tires then I'll run summer performance tires on another set. I'm shocked that people will spend $30K on a car but bawk at spending another $800-1K on a second tire set, especially people who travel north to ski. Snow tires on a Subaru or Audi will get you anywhere. Last year my wife intentionally drove her WRX off the road into a snow drift. I said what are you doing, "oh just testing how these good these tires really are" the car just pulled right out with no wheelspin at all, it's just amazing with four snows.[/Q

When we where buying out Tahoe we insisted that it have the tires that where more for offroad use. The salesman asked us in that "tone" yea but how often do you really ever go off road. Every weekend, we have a place in the mountains...about 2000 feet up...where it snows...and they have dirt roads..steep ones. He didn't say much about it after that. Our driveway is at a 20 degree angle, even got stuck with a trailblazer. Never in the Tahoe.

 

[riverc0il]

One of the incidents that drove me to buying a Subaru was the time that I got stuck in the parking lot at work with my Acura Integra. It's definitely nice to have the AWD and a little extra clearance.

Did you Integra have snow tires? Most people opt for AWD when a pair of snowtires would suffice and be sufficiently cheaper not to mention allow a greater car choice. AWD is not really needed, even for dedicated outdoors people, when they never leave pavement. My desire for AWD stems from wanting to be able to drive down roads that rarely see a snow plow or to throw the car into a "parking spot" off the road that a 2WD car could not get out of even with snows.

 

[MadPadraic]

Word! Let's hear it for ultra light weight high MPG cars with a pair of snow tires. Same here with my 99 Saturn Coupe (which was also getting me to the mountains safely when I lived in MA and was driving long distances in storms). That said, my next car is probably going to be a Subie mostly so I can park the car in some questionable places and get out easier and have a litte more piece of mind when things get really bad.

I completely agree. I've been stuck with a FWD in a post-blizzard ski area parking lot. When we took a trip to Schweitzer we rented a Subie, and were REALLY glad to have it on the access road. Apparently you can buy a ski attachment for the smart car.

 

[snoseek]

front wheel drive + chains is unstoppable in almost any conditions.

 

[hammer]

Did you Integra have snow tires? Most people opt for AWD when a pair of snowtires would suffice and be sufficiently cheaper not to mention allow a greater car choice. AWD is not really needed, even for dedicated outdoors people, when they never leave pavement. My desire for AWD stems from wanting to be able to drive down roads that rarely see a snow plow or to throw the car into a "parking spot" off the road that a 2WD car could not get out of even with snows.

Didn't have snows, but it would not have mattered that day...I got plowed in to my parking spot at work and the car didn't have the ground clearance to get me out.

I commute 25 miles each way and I need to be able to get home in a reasonable amount of time, even during snow storms...during a storm, with an AWD vehicle I can hit the backroads and not worry about whether the plows have kept up. Also, I do know that having the AWD doesn't make me indestructible...still have to drive cautiously.

 

[Hawkshot99]

I do know that having the AWD doesn't make me indestructible...still have to drive cautiously.

It is always funny to go out when the roads are bad, and seeing the people in there big SUV's with 4x4 struggling around on the roads. It still takes skill to be able to drive in snow.

I drive a Honda CRV. It has AWD and with a stick I can do pretty good. When we get snow, I go out to the shopping plazas and play. Drifting the car around, and learning what to do when it starts to slide. The proper vehicle is only half the battle.

 

[Terry]

It is always funny to go out when the roads are bad, and seeing the people in there big SUV's with 4x4 struggling around on the roads. It still takes skill to be able to drive in snow.]
It always amazes me to see all the people in SUVs that go off the road or roll over in snow storms. They think that just because they have 4x4 they can drive like hell with no problems!

 

[riverc0il]

The funny thing about SUVs is most of them don't have AWD standard.

 

[RISkier]

It is always funny to go out when the roads are bad, and seeing the people in there big SUV's with 4x4 struggling around on the roads. It still takes skill to be able to drive in snow.]
It always amazes me to see all the people in SUVs that go off the road or roll over in snow storms. They think that just because they have 4x4 they can drive like hell with no problems!

Yep, seems a lot of folks think that if they are in a 4 wheel drive SUV they don't have to slow down. I've had SUVs fly by me when driving on really icy roads. And I do seem to see a disproportionatly large number of SUVs in the ditch. I also think the higher center of gravity in many SUVs is a disadvantage in many situations. AWD gets you going but it doesn't help you stop and won't keep you from sliding. I've been car shopping and I do find the Subies really seem to handle better than most of the comparably priced competition

 

[wa-loaf]

I've been car shopping and I do find the Subies really seem to handle better than most of the comparably priced competition

We bought our subi from Anchor in N Smithfield. If you go the subi route buy from them. We've moved out of RI and I really miss them. They have awesome service and I'm really not too pleased with the dealer we have up here.

And just too chime in with everyone else. I'll take fwd with snows over awd w/allseasons any day. But now I have awd with snows and that's pretty hard to beat.

That's the one negative I have to say for Subaru is that they put some really crappy stock all seasons on their new cars.

 

[Edd]

This thread is turning into a Subaru lovefest so I'll add I bought a Legacy wagon new 6 years ago. I've got 110,000 miles on it and it's never left me stranded, even a couple of weeks ago when the alternator belt broke...drove 70 miles with no alt and no power steering and it got me home. That's the most significant problem I've had with this vehicle and it only cost me a belt.

That said, I bought it specifically to be a ski car and it's close to perfect. I would like it if Subaru designed the AWD with the ability to be turned off, for gas mileage. The AWD does add weight, so it's hard to say how much gas you'd save but every little bit helps.

 

[RISkier]

wa-loaf,

Glad to hear you liked Anchor. I actually read a bad review of them somewhere but isolated reviews are isolated reviews and can be very biased. I know several docs who live in the Providence area who've gone down to Pilgrim Subaru in North Kingstown. I live near Pilgrim and would likely give them my business if they're competitive price wise. But I'll definately check Anchor out. I am pretty confused as to what I actually want to buy and might just keep my current car another year. But, I've got almost 130,000 on my current car, it needs new tires, and I'm thinking it provides a decent down payment on a new ride. We also have a pretty steep and long driveway that can be tough to get into if it hasn't been plowed.

 

[wa-loaf]

I know several docs who live in the Providence area who've gone down to Pilgrim Subaru in North Kingstown.

I don't know Pilgrim. But proximity is a big plus when you are going in for service. I used Edmunds to "build" the car I wanted and used their get a quote tool for a bunch of dealers in the area. Anchor came back with the best price right away. I gave the others a chance to beat it. All they did was offer to match and give me free tires for the life of the car (which is a trap to lock you into doing all your service with that particular dealer, or you void the tire contract, and is a sign to walk away).

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

I have Continental Extreme AS on the Audi as we dont take trips to ski country in that car, more around town and staying on Long Island. They are a great performer all around. I put BFGoodrich All Terrains on the Nissan Armads as a replacement to the garbage Conti tires that came stock. The BFGs werent cheap, but like you said, whats an extra grand on a $50K vechicle....they are a great perfoming snow tire,

 

[WJenness]

I have Continental Extreme AS on the Audi as we dont take trips to ski country in that car, more around town and staying on Long Island. They are a great performer all around. I put BFGoodrich All Terrains on the Nissan Armads as a replacement to the garbage Conti tires that came stock. The BFGs werent cheap, but like you said, whats an extra grand on a $50K vechicle....they are a great perfoming snow tire,

Just bought a new set of tires for my A4 on friday... I got snows (Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds)... Come the end of ski season I'll buy a new set of wheels and put summer tires on them. (Probably 19" low profiles... maybe the S4 wheels, not sure yet)

-w