What’s Your Winter Beater Going to Be?
The ultimate winter beater should be stout, reliable, and rough enough that you don’t mind if it takes a beating. What’s your pick?
The smell of pumpkin spice is all around, the mercury is dropping, and snow is beginning to fall in the colder parts of the country. Yes, winter is just around the corner once again, and it's time to figure out what you'll be driving for the season.
The holiday season doesn't just bring low temperatures and annoyingly frequent repeats of Mariah Carey's Christmas album. It brings rain and snow, and the latter tends to summon grit and road salt from the local road authority. That should be enough to scare you into keeping your Sunday driver safely tucked away for a while.
Yes, winter is a time for the beaters. The cars we don't mind thrashing through the slush. There's no stressing about rust if you're driving something with the wheel wells already rotting out. Nor is it as stressful to hit an invisible pothole in a car with a front lip that's already been bashed, battered, and bruised.
A good winter beater is the car that gets you where you're going, no matter the conditions. It should have winter tires to avoid skating you off the road. A strong battery and proper charging system are also key so you don't get stranded and freeze to death. Some will swear that all-wheel-drive is a must-have. Others will argue bitterly that it may help you accelerate, but it does nothing to help you stop.
So, our question today is thus: what's your winter beater going to be this year? Maybe grandma's just donated her old Ford Tempo to the family, and it's still got a decent set of winter rubber on it from last year. Perhaps your Subaru Forrester daily has seen better days and you're just going to power on through the season. Possibly, you've realized there's a perfect, forgotten model out there that nobody else has thought of, and you're looking to pick one up cheap for the hoildays.
Share with us your winter rides, and your best tips for getting your beater through the winter freeze. Sound off below!
Got a tip? Let the author know: lewin@thedrive.com
