As we saw this past week, snow and ice can be quite a drag when you need to get somewhere—especially when half the country does at the same time. With Winter Storm Boreas hitting just in time for the Thanksgiving travel rush, we got to thinking about just which cars we’d prefer to take out in extreme winter conditions. Some of them are practical, some are sensible, and others are downright nuts—but they’re all cars we’d love to be in when the white stuff starts falling.
Foreign Cars
If You Want to Really Drive, Buy Used
Fun to drive and nice to drive are two very different things.
The 2013 Subaru Legacy is about as advanced as an affordable midsize car can get. The top-of-the-line trim is swathed in leather, connects wirelessly to your iPhone and drives all by itself.
Seriously, the Legacy is just a few steps away from letting you set your destination, climb into the back seat and take a nap until you get there.
I could go on and on about how great the Legacy is, but there’s a certain dynamic that is missing while behind the wheel:
New Life for Cars of the Past
If you watch Breaking Bad, you know that Walter White drives an old Pontiac Aztec everywhere he goes. The car gets driven hard, has been through countless ordeals, and yet it soldiers on.
Of course, none of it is real on the show, but it’s still interesting that producers chose a car that is universally hated and chided as one of the world’s ugliest vehicles of all time.
Maybe, though, the show has given a second life to Aztecs everywhere. No longer are they weird afterthoughts from a forgettable era, they are now, somehow… cool. Especially ones with a perpetually broken windshield and one steel wheel.
Cars That Won’t Die: Do You Have One?
My car turned past the 100,000-mile mark this weekend. I’d been fretting over that number as it approached, wondering if things would suddenly start falling apart.
I’ve never had a problem with the car. It’s always started on the first try and always purred along without trouble, and it doesn’t seem to have lost anything in the way of performance or power. Still, it’s not a car exactly known for its longevity, so I’m nervous. My nerves weren’t calmed when I started my car for the first time since I crossed that magic number. Rain fell from the dark sky, and I flipped on the headlights in the parking lot at Fantastic Sam’s. The reflection in the building’s window told me only one headlamp illuminated.
Great. While a headlamp isn’t a big deal, I wondered what other problems were programmed to start now that I was into 6 digits. So far, nothing. But I’m still nervous.
Then I read stories about vehicles that are still going strong after trudging over 400,000 miles without much more than a battery change.
5 Ways to Save Money and Commute in Style
Once upon time, buying a commuter car meant sacrificing any hope of an enjoyable driving experience. If you wanted something fun and good looking, you’d have to buy a secondary sports car for the weekends. Weekday commuter cars, at least in the U.S., were inexpensive, fuel efficient and reliable, but about as plain and boring as ordering vanilla ice cream in a parlor of 46 million flavors.
Our economy might be in a sinkhole, but that doesn’t mean people have forgotten about a fun driving experience. We just want it to come in under 20 grand or so while getting good miles per gallon and looking at least somewhat exciting. Like paying the price for vanilla but getting a nice cup of Ben & Jerry’s Schweddy Balls instead.
Keep reading for some of the most fun and good looking commuters available today!