The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: grosvenor6 on September 14, 2016, 05:38:50 AM
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Back in March of this year I was in a terrible accident where I slid off the road in snow and flipped my truck in mid air landing on the roof. They said it was a miracle I am still alive after looking at what was left with the truck, and luckily walking away with only a concussion and a few bruised ribs. It took me awhile to drive again but I bought a used AWD 2013 charger for 23k, put 6k down on it and have a 250 a month payment. After reading this forum I realized I made a terrible mistake of getting a car loan with so much debt. I love the car but I know I could be driving around a car I can pay cash for with a few grand and I can use that 250 a month I was paying for my loan and invest that on top of my 401k contribution. I just don't know what kind of car/truck I should get that would be great in the snow but that I can get for much cheaper and pay cash for. If anyone has any experience or knows of any cars/trucks I should look at please let me know. My car now should handle winter well but if I can sell it and buy something else before the snow that would be better. The first time driving in the snow this year I will be a wreck so I want to make sure I am prepared.
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SPeaking as someone who lives in snowy Quebec, Canada, the single biggest thing you can do to improve your safety while driving in snowy conditions is to have on dedicated snow tires. Snow tires on FWD cars are far better than all-season tires on an AWD/4WD vehicle.
People here drive compact cars daily and we average 6-8 feet of snow every winter.
As for which vehicle; since safety/survivability is a top concern for you give the NIHS crash tests a good look. But otherwise I'd look for a used vehicle that's gets good fuel mileage, is just big enough for what you need it for on a weekly basis and realize that anything bigger/fancier is just delaying your patch to financial independence. Buy dedicated snow tires and have them mounted on steel rims (this will save you $$ in the long run having them changed every spring/summer).
Finally, given your apprehention about driving again I would strongly suggest contacting an adult driving school and asking for a few sessions of driving in snowy/icy conditions. This isn't uncommon nad a decent driving instructor can walk you through how to correct a skid, how to drive defensively, etc.