What you guys drive for a long commute?

Published

Hello,

I accepted a job about an hour from where I live in a different state and I have no intentions to move from my town at all and I want to invest in a car since I'm driving an older car. For the nurses who commute long distances what is your advice for a car.

Thanks

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

One that gets good gas mileage and isn't expensive to repair/maintain and can handle the terrain/weather you'll be driving in. Not being flip but it's hard to recommend a specific vehicle without know more details about the drive.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
20 minutes ago, Wuzzie said:

One that gets good gas mileage and isn't expensive to repair/maintain and can handle the terrain/weather you'll be driving in. Not being flip but it's hard to recommend a specific vehicle without know more details about the drive.

Hi I live in Ohio and its all highway drive, no traffic or anything, but the Winter here is nasty so I'm taking in consideration the nasty weather during the Winter season.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Lots of snow or mostly ice?

Lots of snow-Subaru

Lots of ice-any decent front wheel drive car with snow tires

Mega snow and ice-Subaru with snow tires

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
9 hours ago, Wuzzie said:

Lots of snow or mostly ice?

Lots of snow-Subaru

Lots of ice-any decent front wheel drive car with snow tires

Mega snow and ice-Subaru with snow tires

@Wuzzie I'm curious about why FWD instead of AWD? A guy who lived in NJ all his life told me it was always best to get AWD for those types of conditions. Also, would one take into consideration ground clearance when selecting a car for Winter driving? Or is that not important?

I'm somebody who is not at all familiar with Winter snow/ice driving and might actually move to a state (in a few years) where this is a natural Winter occurrence. I figure I might as well learn about this now.

I do like the Subarus though!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
18 minutes ago, Mergirlc said:

A guy who lived in NJ all his life told me it was always best to get AWD for those types of conditions.

All wheel drive doesn’t mean all wheel stop. ? Seriously it isn’t an advantage on straight up ice. Anti-lock brakes and good snow tires are what helps in icy situations no matter the drivetrain you have. Well, that and not driving stupid.

All wheel drive really proves its worth on snow covered roads. Clearance can be an issue in areas that get really deep snow but most of them do sit a little higher than a standard vehicle. They’re also awesome when changing lanes through the crud that builds up between them.

The best way to drive through any Winter weather is reasonable speed, no hard braking, increasing your stopping distance by starting to slow down sooner, no sudden turns of the steering wheel, always looking ahead at what’s coming up, assume the person in the car in front of you is an idiot and will do something stupid at any minute and staying calm when it happens. I also find that turning off the radio and definitely the cell phone helps.

All that being said I’m a big fan of Subarus and my last three cars have been Foresters as will my next one.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
10 minutes ago, Wuzzie said:

All wheel drive doesn’t mean all wheel stop. ? Seriously it isn’t an advantage on straight up ice. Anti-lock brakes and good snow tires are what helps in icy situations no matter the drivetrain you have. Well, that and not driving stupid.

All wheel drive really proves its worth on snow covered roads. Clearance can be an issue in areas that get really deep snow but most of them do sit a little higher than a standard vehicle. They’re also awesome when changing lanes through the crud that builds up between them.

The best way to drive through any Winter weather is reasonable speed, no hard braking, increasing your stopping distance by starting to slow down sooner, no sudden turns of the steering wheel, always looking ahead at what’s coming up, assume the person in the car in front of you is an idiot and will do something stupid at any minute and staying calm when it happens. I also find that turning off the radio and definitely the cell phone helps.

All that being said I’m a big fan of Subarus and my last three cars have been Foresters as will my next one.

Actually I was looking to get Subaru Forster the sport edition . I think this will be the car I'm getting before Winter especially I will be driving long distance in icy/snowy weather. How do you like the Forster?

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

It’s my third one and I’ll soon be getting my fourth! I love the car. It has its quirks and is definitely not luxurious but it’s comfortable and gets the job done. I have the Touring edition.

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
2 hours ago, Wuzzie said:

All wheel drive doesn’t mean all wheel stop. ? Seriously it isn’t an advantage on straight up ice. Anti-lock brakes and good snow tires are what helps in icy situations no matter the drivetrain you have. Well, that and not driving stupid.

All wheel drive really proves its worth on snow covered roads. Clearance can be an issue in areas that get really deep snow but most of them do sit a little higher than a standard vehicle. They’re also awesome when changing lanes through the crud that builds up between them.

The best way to drive through any Winter weather is reasonable speed, no hard braking, increasing your stopping distance by starting to slow down sooner, no sudden turns of the steering wheel, always looking ahead at what’s coming up, assume the person in the car in front of you is an idiot and will do something stupid at any minute and staying calm when it happens. I also find that turning off the radio and definitely the cell phone helps.

All that being said I’m a big fan of Subarus and my last three cars have been Foresters as will my next one.

Thanks so much for the advice and explanations. I have always loved Jeeps - Jeep Wranglers in particular. I learned to drive stick a long time ago on my brother's Jeep. Unfortunately, the Jeeps of 20 years ago do not cost the same as the Jeeps of today. Too much $$$$. If I hit a lotto jackpot, then yes. If not, I'll definitely be looking at the Subarus.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

@RN 1979 I'm just curious, what type of vehicle are you driving now?

I'm actually interested in relocating to Ohio in a few years. How bad is it really during Winter? Are we talking North/South Dakota bad?

I'm mainly interested in the areas north/northeast of Cleveland. But would love to get a general idea of what it's like, if you don't mind?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
2 hours ago, Mergirlc said:

@RN 1979 I'm just curious, what type of vehicle are you driving now?

I'm actually interested in relocating to Ohio in a few years. How bad is it really during Winter? Are we talking North/South Dakota bad?

I'm mainly interested in the areas north/northeast of Cleveland. But would love to get a general idea of what it's like, if you don't mind?

I drive Toyota Camry but my job was like 10 minutes from me and driving was no issue but during the Winter time between snowing/ice these 10 minutes can turn to like an hour. I'm starting new job much better than my current job and worth the drive and its exactly 45 minutes from me so with my Camry I will have no issue till Winter kicks in so I have to get new AWD car. Winter here is really nasty especially in Jan/Feb I don't know how is the weather in North/ south Dakota but temperature can drop to 0 easily in Jan.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
2 hours ago, RN 1979 said:

I drive Toyota Camry but my job was like 10 minutes from me and driving was no issue but during the Winter time between snowing/ice these 10 minutes can turn to like an hour. I'm starting new job much better than my current job and worth the drive and its exactly 45 minutes from me so with my Camry I will have no issue till Winter kicks in so I have to get new AWD car. Winter here is really nasty especially in Jan/Feb I don't know how is the weather in North/ south Dakota but temperature can drop to 0 easily in Jan.

Thanks!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion