Best Cars for Driving in Snow
During the years I lived in Chicago, I owned two different vehicles, a small sized Chevy Geo Tracker, and a full sized Ford Expedition. I must say that the car you drive through the winter will make a huge difference. The Tracker was an extremely light vehicle, and the soft top was affected by the winds in just about the same way a boat sail is affected. This led to some somewhat precarious and scary situations. I no longer had my repair manual for the track, just the two manuals for my roommates cars, a Pontiac Sunfire repair manual and a Chevrolet Cavalier repair manual.
Both of these manuals suggested adding extra weight to my Tracker so I went and bought about two hundred pounds of rock salt. I immediately noticed the difference, and I knew I could use the salt in the future if necessary to melt the ice and the snow. Front wheel drive is better that back wheel drive, and the best case is a four wheel drive, which is what I had for the next winter. This was a dream come true, as that was the year I got snowed in one night, and I do not think my Tracker would have been able to get out, but now I had a Ford Expedition, repair manual and all.
Aside from being a heavier car and the convenience of the four wheel drive, my Expedition was automatic transmission, and this was one aspect of the two cars that I had no idea would make such a big difference. The Tracker was a stick shift, and combined with the stopping and starting on busy Chicago streets and the snow and ice, sometimes my wheels would just spin. The ease of the automatic shifting removed that annoyance and that danger. I was not very well informed, the Expedition was just a very good deal, and one that I was fortunate to luck into.