Sold on the Winter Beater Concept

[TheLawnRanger]

Being from the South, I've never had a need for a winter beater. However, my 2012 Colorado its racking up miles rather quickly while my 1999 Cavalier only has around 95000 miles on it. All longer trips have always ern made in my bigger vehicles for comfort reasons and I used to live less than a mile from where I worked. Thus, the Cavalier never stacked up the miles it would have. I never sold the car since it took a bad beating in a hail storm several years ago and I only had liability insurance due to its age.

After reading about the winter beaters that several BITOG members have, I thought this would be a great way to use the old car and save miles on my truck. This would also save me from fixing the car's A/C.

 

[14Accent]

Absolutely agree! The "winter beater" concept hit me last year, I had come into possession of a set the exact size winter tires I needed for my Volt, so I bought a set of wheels and TPMS sensors and had every intention of installing them come winter. Then, in August, I came across the CL ad for my Cadillac. $1,200, 124k miles, needed some elbow grease. Guess what? The rims and snow tires fit. Hmm....

My Volt came from Iowa and had never seen a MN winter, therefore no salt. It's clean as a whistle. The Cadillac's rear quarters had given up to lady Minnesota years ago, so what's the loss? It's the best of both worlds.

 

[HM12460]

Originally Posted by 14Accent
Absolutely agree! The "winter beater" concept hit me last year, I had come into possession of a set the exact size winter tires I needed for my Volt, so I bought a set of wheels and TPMS sensors and had every intention of installing them come winter. Then, in August, I came across the CL ad for my Cadillac. $1,200, 124k miles, needed some elbow grease. Guess what? The rims and snow tires fit. Hmm....

My Volt came from Iowa and had never seen a MN winter, therefore no salt. It's clean as a whistle. The Cadillac's rear quarters had given up to lady Minnesota years ago, so what's the loss? It's the best of both worlds.




That old, heavy Cadillac probably does quite well in the snow too with dedicated snow tires on the back.

 

[Railrust]

While I agree...a winter beater is a great formula for preserving your other car, depending on where you live and how long winter usually lasts, you could be spending four months in a crap box car you hate driving. And if you have a big commute, that really stinks.

I bought a winter beater a few years ago...drove it to work twice, then sold it.

 

[Fawteen]

Originally Posted by 14Accent

My Volt came from Iowa and had never seen a MN winter, therefore no salt.


I'm pretty sure those folks up in Iowa also use salt on the roads. Had a relative drive through there on I80 last winter and said his car was covered in white residue and they had a huge amount of snow/salt on the roads.

Here? We only use salt on our food.

 

[newbe46]

It's a great idea as long as you can afford the insurance and keeping up with all the maintenance. It allows me to drive something rather fun and unpractical in the summer. Nothing beats the feeling of starting up the engine on the summer car after months of winter.

 

[CharBaby]

When I was younger and stored decent cars during the winter months, I'd buy a winter beater that was an absolute POS. As long as it started & drove with good heat and the wipers worked, I was GOLDEN.

However back then, NY State Vehicle Inspections were mediocre at best with just a visual inspection and your word that everything was in order. Then I could fix things along the way just to keep the beater running. I'd look in the paper(sale by owner) for batteries & tires, preferably snows for the rear(RWD) and anything decently treaded or the front. And I always installed the cheapest brakes.

 

[dishdude]

I moved to a place where winter is when I drive my good car!

 

[gfh77665]

Same concept, I keep a summer beater. I drive on the gulf coast beaches a lot, and play in the sand, cut "donuts" and blast through the salt water. We also track lots of salty sand back into the truck, and the dogs ride in the back seat. I would NEVER do all the above to my good vehicles.

 

[sw99]

I keep a year round beater... The 2008 Corolla has a set of summer tires and studded snows for the three worst winter months. This vehicle was specifically sought after for it's simplicity and proven reliability. It only has 95K now so I plan to give it a work out in the years to come.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted by Railrust
While I agree...a winter beater is a great formula for preserving your other car, depending on where you live and how long winter usually lasts, you could be spending four months in a crap box car you hate driving. And if you have a big commute, that really stinks.

That's where I'm cautious, too. It's longer than four months here, too. I'm not saying someone should drive a Ferrari year round here, but I do prefer to have a vehicle I can at least live with year round. Naturally, that means compromises on both ends. I cannot drive a Vespa year round whether I like it or not. Similarly, I don't need something with four feet of ground clearance and aggressive tires year round.

As much as I like having something to drive in the winter that I don't worry excessively about, summer is way too short to punish myself. Maybe that's why I'm not in a rush to buy anything new, either. I'll fuss in the winter, and spending a bunch of money to merely fuss over something is not a good time.

 

[MCompact]

The Clubman is my year round work beater; with Vredestein Quatrac 5 tires I can get through everything but the deepest snow. Of course I still can't leave it alone- I spent the better part of one morning replacing the windshield cowl panels of the Clubman. Why? Because the panels were faded and the weatherstripping was deteriorating. This weekend I picked up some clearance priced Bavsound front speakers for it.
It's a sickness...

 

[Kurtatron]

Winter beater is a necessity for me. Not for practical or even financial reasons, but for my mental health. I need to have a car that I simply don't care for if it rusts away in the salty slush. And I need to have one vehicle that I can feel somewhat attached to, even if it is also a cheap car. I need to have a car that is not a rust bucket.

Having a single nice car would frustrate me in the winter salty months.

Having only a beater would also starve me of my enthusiasm for machines.

So a $2000 beater Solara fits the bill perfectly, while my ‘91 camper van may live on forever. Plus, the really great thing about having 2 cars is when the beater breaks down, I can use the nicer car while I fix my beater.