Quote:
Originally Posted by Hersbird
I'm telling you, a freak snowstorm here or there is very different than what you get in 3 months of real winter. Our first snows of winter are seldom a big deal for anyone here too. The ground isn't frozen 2 feet down, the burms and ruts haven't turned to ice. With a fresh snow, and the first snows, you can find the slushy bottom.
I see it all the time. If people moving here don't abandon ship completely after the first winter they certainly abandon their RWD cars after the first winter. I want to believe the line RWD is better, I've bought RWD hoping, and have had RWD just sit for 3 months of the year. Meanwhile people who just need to get up before the plows run and get to work 6 days a week buy a AWD or at the bare minimum a FWD.
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I'm aware that a freak snowstorm isn't the same as a full winter. However, I've never owned a modern RWD vehicle with traction control and stability control so rentals are my only experience with them.
My RWD winter driving experience is with old-school vehicles. As mentioned before I grew up in Michigan. I learned to drive in my father's 1982 Oldsmobile 98. No stability control, no ABS, no traction control, and no winter tires. My mother had a late 80's E150 conversion van. Also no driver aids. My parents didn't own a FWD car until they purchased their 2010 Prius.
My father-in-law has always driven RWD F-250s. They live in a rural area so the snow plow doesn't get to their house until 2-3 days after a storm. He still managed to make it to work every day at 6 am. My mother-in-law had a RWD Aerostar van. She replaced that with a RWD Thunderbird. My wife's first vehicle an 80's RWD Ford Ranger. My in-law's first FWD vehicle was 2006 Ford Escape.
People got where they were going before FWD or AWD vehicles were commonplace. If I did a lot of off-road driving on snow I would consider AWD but for paved and gravel roads RWD does fine. Even better with winter tires. (I bought my first set after moving to Oregon and they are a game changer in the passes and forest roads.)