My uncle's VW Jetta does great! As do his kid's Golfs. Tires will work quite a bit of magic when it comes to the stuff. Plenty of 2WD cars do just dandy in harsh winter conditions with the right kind of shoes and driving technique.
My good friend recently had to replace his car, and debated between a Fit and an Aerio. Ultimately, he chose the Aerio because he found it to be a better all-around car. I'm pretty sure they're comparably priced, and it's quite a nice little car. Having driven it, I can vouch that it's a nice solid creature. I suggest you research it (made by Suzuki), and I can also give you his contact info if you'd like.
It's funny hearing about somebody buying an Impreza and not wanting to use it for performance or rally style driving.
I don't know if they have them where you are, but I heard Suzuki SX4's are good for all terrain and get fairly good mileage. They're not as roomy as an Impreza though, I think.
As you know we get a LOT of snow here most winters. My boyfriend's Dad who is the kind of person who likes to be prepared for bad driving conditions owns a Matrix. My boyfriend drives it a fair bit and used to a lot when he lived with his folks. I haven't driven it, I haven't learned manual yet and I'm not quite 25 so I'm not insured on it, so I can't speak from personal experience but I know that with winter tires it's definitely suitable for winter driving. Also we find that there's lots of space especially with the back seats down.
That being said I know when my boyfriend's Dad gets a new car he wants some kind of all wheel drive or four wheel drive thing, and I think he may have been considering a Subaru so maybe it is worth waiting for or spending extra on. But a budget is a budget and the Matrix would probably work out nicely for you. It is small but not TOO small, you know? Definitely roomier on the inside than they look.
ha! i meant as a primarily FWD vehicle it'd need snow tires here for winter definitely. they'd be coming with all season tires. ARE THEY NOT OPTIONAL THERE? WHAT?
and thanks so much for the input on the matrix :D i do love the space in it. as far as manual goes i'd LIKE it [nice having the control] but its not a necessity after driving one for so long.
Does that mean you wouldn't put snow tires on an AWD? I would think that you should still put them on.
Winter tires are actually required by law in the winter in Quebec. I know there was some kind of noise made to get that law implemented here (Newfoundland) but I can't remember or find whether we did get it or not.
I would check and see what the general internet consensus is on AWD with all seasons vs FWD with snow tires. I'm thinking snow tires is better than AWD for winter driving, if you have to pick only one.
To toss another anecdote on the pile, my Vibe is the best car I've ever owned. It handled fine in our piddly minimal snow and ice last year--couldn't say how it handles in serious snow, this was like two meagre inches, but it wasn't bothered by it. (Mind you, I spent ten years driving on Minnesota snow, so this was a laughable snow to test it on--I could probably have driven a delivery truck with bald tires on it successfully.)
They're a surprisingly small car with an astonishingly huge interior--I can haul five hundred pounds of cow manure or a stack of enormous canvases or a gigantic metal chicken sculpture in mine, and everybody I've talked to who owns one loves it passionately. So either the Vibe, or its fraternal twin, the Matrix, would probably make you an excellent car. (Vibes are made in the same plant as the Matrix, and are the same car with a slightly different shell, so I imagine they're more or less the same.)
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I now have a Jetta station wagon and... well, I also love it so far :)
No idea how they perform in the snow though...
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haha i saw your jetta pics! looks AWESOME :D
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I don't know if they have them where you are, but I heard Suzuki SX4's are good for all terrain and get fairly good mileage. They're not as roomy as an Impreza though, I think.
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As you know we get a LOT of snow here most winters. My boyfriend's Dad who is the kind of person who likes to be prepared for bad driving conditions owns a Matrix. My boyfriend drives it a fair bit and used to a lot when he lived with his folks. I haven't driven it, I haven't learned manual yet and I'm not quite 25 so I'm not insured on it, so I can't speak from personal experience but I know that with winter tires it's definitely suitable for winter driving. Also we find that there's lots of space especially with the back seats down.
That being said I know when my boyfriend's Dad gets a new car he wants some kind of all wheel drive or four wheel drive thing, and I think he may have been considering a Subaru so maybe it is worth waiting for or spending extra on. But a budget is a budget and the Matrix would probably work out nicely for you. It is small but not TOO small, you know? Definitely roomier on the inside than they look.
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Snow tires aren't optional!!
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and thanks so much for the input on the matrix :D i do love the space in it. as far as manual goes i'd LIKE it [nice having the control] but its not a necessity after driving one for so long.
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Winter tires are actually required by law in the winter in Quebec. I know there was some kind of noise made to get that law implemented here (Newfoundland) but I can't remember or find whether we did get it or not.
I would check and see what the general internet consensus is on AWD with all seasons vs FWD with snow tires. I'm thinking snow tires is better than AWD for winter driving, if you have to pick only one.
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They're a surprisingly small car with an astonishingly huge interior--I can haul five hundred pounds of cow manure or a stack of enormous canvases or a gigantic metal chicken sculpture in mine, and everybody I've talked to who owns one loves it passionately. So either the Vibe, or its fraternal twin, the Matrix, would probably make you an excellent car. (Vibes are made in the same plant as the Matrix, and are the same car with a slightly different shell, so I imagine they're more or less the same.)
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