[Raiyn]

Oh, I forgot to state what we drive. It's actually a Toyota Tacoma 4WD, so it's not a guzzler, and there's enough space for us, our dogs, and our "stuff". We frequently use the 4WD feature on the trips up there for the snow.

Honestly, for the trips up there, I would eventually like to have an AWD vehicle as you suggest, and reserve the pickup for actual off-roading. It would be more efficient, and have more space for the additional kids we'll have. My wife keeps saying, "If Mini made an AWD model, we'd be on that car lot in a hurry."
Sounds like you two are quite sensible then. :D

On a side note My family has lived in Northeastern MN for their entire lives and never owned a 4WD or AWD vehicle. In fact my father has purchased only front wheel drive cars since 1985 and I assure you they get SNOW (in their neck of the woods the average annual snowfall is 70+ inches).

[The BikeForums Team]

This is an archived thread, you can find the full version of this thread, with images, links and more content here.

Ready to buy? Check out these two online bike stores:
- http://www.nashbar.com (you can find the latest bike nashbar coupons in this thread)
- http://www.performancebike.com (you can find the latest performance bike coupons in this thread)

Cya on the forums,
- The BikeForums Team
- http://www.bikeforums.net

[Dutchy]

And what is this snowline? Millions of people enjoy months of winter and most drive sedans, compacts and sub-compacts without any problems.
Well said. How did people survive Winter before SUV's (4wds) came along?

CHEERS.

Mark

[SteveE]

Well said. How did people survive Winter before SUV's (4wds) came along?

CHEERS.

MarkWell, in Vermont, they all drove Subaru Outback Station Wagons.

[Seanholio]

Sounds like you two are quite sensible then. :D

On a side note My family has lived in Northeastern MN for their entire lives and never owned a 4WD or AWD vehicle. In fact my father has purchased only front wheel drive cars since 1985 and I assure you they get SNOW (in their neck of the woods the average annual snowfall is 70+ inches).

It doesn't snow in Minnesota. This is obviously a hyped-up myth, propogated by a bunch of pannekoken-eating Swedes trying to make themselves seem like more than pantywaists. ;)

[Seanholio]

While not a Mini, if you're looking for a smaller AWD car then there are a few to be had. Have you considered one of the Subarus? Or an Audi w/Quattro? Or a VW w/4-Motion?

These are all great cars, and I'd be happy with any of them. Unfortunately, my wife owned an early-eighties Subaru, which she bought used, as her first car. That car had more problems than you can shake a stick at. While I understand that they are of a much higher quality now, she's pretty hung up on it. I also had a good friend who got 250k miles out of his, with just general maintenance. I may talk her into one of these when we have kids.

Volkswagons, in general, have electrical problems after a couple years, and I'd prefer to avoid that nightmare.

I haven't looked into the Audi's, but it sounds like a pretty good manufacturer from what I have heard.

Right now, we /have/ the truck, and we don't have any other vehicle. Other bills prevent us from saving up for a new vehicle, so until we've saved up for a new (to us) car, we use what we have.

[Raiyn]

Buying a used car = buying someone elses problem. She had no idea how that car was cared for - a shame that had to be her first

[PaulH]

Well said. How did people survive Winter before SUV's (4wds) came along?

CHEERS.

Mark

The roads were not plowed nearly as well as they are today. Furthermore, nothing was ever salted, and sand was used sparingly. People drove rear wheel drive sedans with tire chains, but everyone got where they were going. SUVs (4WDs) were driven only by old guys named Bill. They would plow your driveway for $20, and tell wonderful stories.

Paul

[Brillig]

Well said. How did people survive Winter before SUV's (4wds) came along?


A little worse than they do now.

[khuon]

I haven't looked into the Audi's, but it sounds like a pretty good manufacturer from what I have heard.

Not trying to disuade you from Audis but you do know that Audi is owned by Volkswagon don't you? Their cars share many of the same parts. For instance, the VW Jetta and the Audi A4 are cousins. I have many friends with VWs and they've had their share of problems but they're generally well built cars. The one thing you also have to keep in mind is that both VW and Audis are "precision machines" which means they tend to be a little bit more finicky if not taken care of. I guess this is in contrast to say Hondas and Toyotas which can be neglected and beaten up on a regular basis and still have a pretty good running life. There are AWD sedans and wagons from various manufacturers... you just have to look.