Wagons In the Winter

Have any of you driven your wagons in the winter? I'm just curious which do better than others. I'm thinking of getting a winter car. I thought of getting an 80's Caprice, or a Chevy Celebrity wagon.
Not sure though.

 

My vote is for the Caprice

 

I drive my Saturn in the winter, but I don't think that's what you are looking for.

I don't know why but it seems like everybody these days is paranoid about driving RWD vehicles in the snow. Honestly I think the tires are well more important about how a car handles in the snow than anything else. Well that and not driving like a total idiot help too.

 

So true...good tires can do the job if you give them the chance and not over drive the conditions.I hate it when your driving in bad weather and some idiot flies by like his in some kinda tire commerical

 

I drive my wagons all winter long. Of course I live in Phoenix.

 

Show off!

I like the Fairmont in winter. Its light enough that it's easy to steer out of a spin, and hitting an icey snow bank is like a pinball machine. Mine's at stock height with the bigger V8 front swaybar. No dipping.

 

Wagons in the winter? Why not!

Here in Michigan I drive my '91 Colony Park in the winter without problems. In fact, "Connie" is my primary winter vehicle because I put my Sebring convertible in storage October thru April.

Now my wagon has an Equi-Loc rear end and I run good quality Michelins which together provide me with great traction in the snow. Once, last winter, I even "lost" the road during a big snow. I drove 50 feet through a snow bank before realizing I was in the ditch. But with the Equi-Loc, Connie was able to slowly power her way back onto the road and away we went. About the only thing I can't do in the winter with my big Merc is stop on ice, but neither can my wife's front wheel drive Camry.

However, if you gotta have a Ch**y, I would give my vote for the Celebrity. My dad drove Celebrities as company cars in the late 80s and early 90s and they were great. Those 2.5 L Iron Duke 4 bangers were indestructible. And they were great in the snow because they didn't have enough power to really get you into trouble. At one time my dad had a new Celebrity, my mom had his previous car and I had the Celebrity previous to that. We probably had more than 300,000 combined miles on our Celebrities with no problems (except for the uncomfortable, unadjustable front bench seats!).

Just my 2 cents,
-Brian

 

I couldn't agree more. If you think about it, the majority of the time cars have been around they have been rear wheel drive. People got around just fine in the snow. Good tires is key, yes, but knowing how to drive in winter conditions is just as important.

My wagon (64 Plymouth) was my Grandparent's primary vehicle from the day it was new. Then it was my parent's primary vehicle when I was a kid.
Then I started driving it when I got my license. That car has been through more snow and winter roads than my 4wd Explorer. It's a tank.

Get yourself some good all season tires, maybe throw some weight in the back and give those winter roads hell.

 

If you put radial snows on the back and some weight in the cargo area....I will guarantee that the Caprice will take you just about anywhere you want to go in the snow. The front wheeler would do well too but don't discount the big wagon decked out as I have described.

 

I would strap on the studded winter tires on my 65 Pontiac wagon and plow down the road. My wagon was white too so they never saw me comin!

Totaled 2 cars, no scratches!

 

I stop driving my Plymouth in the winter to avoid the salt from the roads but my Willys does get some use in the winter and even more when it snows as it also plows my driveway.
In reference to rear wheel drive in the winter as others said not a problem just use your head and put some weight in the rear and if a real bad day some strap chains will help. While not a wagon I drove my rwd s10 for about 10 years in the winter to work never got stuck just use common sense.

 

Last winter was so mild here I don't really know how the Crewzer will really do in ice and snow, I'm told the Buick's @ss end gets a bit loose but it only road on all seasons till I got it so.....Duhhh.

You put good snow ice tires on that fox and I don't think you'll be disapointed at all. I drove my last fox wagon for almost 9 years every day, black ice, snow, you name it. Those Fax wagons grip, and remember my ice and snow is all hills and windy roads, it plowed through everything.

 

I actually prefer RWD to FWD, but I'm not too picky either. A lot also depends on where my next job takes me. If I have to drive a ways to work every day, I might get the smaller, lighter wagon. If it's close, it won't matter.
I don't mind big Fords, either. I like the Colony Parks. I was just using a few examples. I don't mean to offend the other camp, you know.

 

my Pimpo(4cyl)...and the LedZephyr(shot 6cyl)...were the best winter cars
they were both under powered for the size....which made them perfect for the snow...just enuf balls to get sideways...not enuf balls to get outa control

FWD is against my religion

 

No problems at all with the RWD.. You have to get studded tires to drive in sweden, but on the other hand, we have ice and snow roads for at least 4 months a year here. The other three "wintery" months there can be occasionly ice spots in mornings, and evenings. I would never consider friction tires for a miniute.. Then again, i dont know what the conditions are for you..

-As a anecdot i could tell you about my caprice -81 that i started up before i was heading home from a nightshift, before i had the shower and changed the clothes.. Was at least -35C out, propably more as the car was parked out on a hill, on a tounge in the sea.. Beautiful feeling when i got in the car and the heater had warmed the floor, i put the player on, and put the defroster on along with the wipers. As the HOT air met the windscreen it slowly, slowly bursted...... One crack from right to left, all the way and in the middle of the screen it took off from bottom to top...

But hell, ! I was warm and cosy all the way home, :banana: