We are moving in a few months to a state that gets a lot of snow (luckily beating the winter season) from a city that gets none. I work remote and partner will likely have a 10-20 minute commute 5 days a week. We share a used Camry that is paid off, low miles, great gas mileage, and in great shape. Most people we’ve talked to say snow tires in the winter are needed at minimum and AWD to be extra safe, so we’ve been debating the need for a different vehicle. There’s a lot of nature nearby that we would like to access that seems to be difficult without an AWD car during winter.
Ideally we continue sharing a single car – we’ve managed for years and enjoy avoiding the added expenses with two cars, but we don’t want to get rid of the Camry. Does it make sense to buy a second AWD car since we can afford it? Trial run just snow tires on Camry and decide when it starts snowing in November if we need to invest?
Moving to a snowy climate, what is the right financial move regarding car(s)
byu/Shankbucket inpersonalfinance
Posted by Shankbucket
44 Comments
Get some Mich Cross Climates for the car and start getting comfortable adjusting plans around the weather / telling people “nah, I don’t want to ____ in this”
We have a paid off 22 Subaru (we share a car in my household) Outback with good all seasons on it and still modify plans if things are not nice (Chicago suburbs)
move to the place and see what driving actually feels like
ie, a regular Camry with snow tires is likely to be fine for most things.
when your area has snow, the locals have good snow infrastructure usually for day to day things
if you find yourself going outside in the winter enough to need an 4wd do it then. If it were me, I’d do it for like 1 month and get tired of being cold but that is me.
I made it through very snowy winters in Iowa in a Honda Civic with all-season tires. Sure you could buy something better, but your Camry will be just fine.
If you doubt, go fly there next weekend and see what everyone is driving in January. It’s probably not that much different a mix of vehicles from where you are now.
Snow tires help a ton. There are plenty of people in snowy places that drive econoboxes with snow tires
My suggestion is to go that route until you feel certain that you need an AWD car. You didn’t mention ground clearance but higher ground clearance also helps.
Think about it this way. If you change your vehicle purely to have access to some additional outdoor fun activities – what is the cost compared to the number of times you will use it?
Just how snowy? We get ~120 inches here and there’s people driving on FWD and even RWD cars in the winter.
To go up the mountain to ski or to any hiking trails, AWD or chains would be a hard requirement. Around town, unless you need to do a lot of driving before the plows come out, anything with decent tires is manageable.
So it depends on how well the area is managed, what the roads are like, and when/how you’re doing your driving.
AWD helps you go, it doesn’t help you stop. I’ve lived in a very snowy climate my whole life and have done a lot of winter driving, and most of my cars have been FWD. The biggest problem that people have when driving in snow is not understanding handling dynamics (easiest in FWD, AWD varies a lot by car, from similar to FWD to closer to RWD) or driving too fast for the conditions.
Generally speaking, good all seasons are fine for normal driving in town/city areas. Winter tires help a lot if you’re having trouble with hills.
The biggest concern of a FWD car is that you can’t get up a hill. Otherwise, the only real downside is that acceleration is slow and it’s a bit easier to get stuck. Really.
Buying a whole new car because you’re going to encounter some snow is pointless.
Most of the time when it’s snowing outside, there will be time periods where the roads are snowy/icy, but if you’re in a situation where someone in a FWD car with all season tires can’t get around while driving carefully, work is going to be cancelled.
I would dare say that as an inexperienced snow driver, AWD will make you overconfident in the snow because you won’t respect the lack of grip as much and will tend to go faster.
The snow tires will be adequate, no need to get a second car.
I have lived in Michigan and 90% of my life had 2 wheel drive cars and have never had snow tires. Even with a sedan its just not that big of a deal. I’m not off roading in the snow. Roads are typically plowed and salted fairly quickly. Maybe once or twice a year you have to cancel some plans because of a snow/icy day but that’s not even every year. Keep the camry and see how it rides your first winter. On the first snow day go to a parking lot and do some donuts and practice a bit turning and driving in snow. Drive it more like a boat and you’ll be fine.
A lot of AWD vehicles aren’t AWD above 25 mph (like my rav4).
People saying that the cities will have infrastructure to deal with it- we had a moderate snow storm last week (maybe 6” of snow) and the roads were 3-6” of slush. It was semi difficult driving (am very experienced). No driving bans, my appointments weren’t cancelled but both were moved to earlier in the day. Took me about 1.5x as usual to travel.
If you’d feel fine cancelling an appointment and taking the cancellation fee, or using a PTO day from work, you can get away with a less suited car. Low clearance means you may not be able to get out of your driveway or get stuck on an unplowed side street – I have a plow service but the city plow piles a band of high snow across my driveway apron. I can get in/out of my driveway and my sedan driving neighbor with the same plow service often cannot. Residential/secondary streets are plowed last. Roads can also be icy- IMO slushy or icy are the toughest to drive in.
Goodyear weatherready assurance tires are a good choice too.
You really want to deal with the snow? I’m so done with it.
My favorite thing about snow is shoveling it so that my vehicles don’t get stuck pulling into the driveway.
I live in the northeast and have always had awd. People make it work without by putting on snow tires or studs on front wheel drive cars. You can try to keep yours and just be extra careful as you learn to drive in the snow. Get awd for your next car when you’re ready.
Biggest tips:
– always clear snow off your car, don’t let it fly off as you drive, it’s rude and dangerous to others; same goes for making sure your front windshield is defrosted enough before you move
– you’ll want to start warming your car up for 5-10 mins on colder days to keep it in good condition
– drive slow in the snow, keep much more extra space between you and the car in front of you so you can brake and in case of ice
– don’t panic and use brakes if you lose control turning or down a hill – be sure to slow down BEFORE you get there and then if you fish tail anyway, take foot off the accelerator and try to remain calm/straight wheel until you get traction again
– and don’t go out in the snow unless you have to. Try to wait until plows have been by if you need to go somewhere
Literally just get snow tires.
People think they need some big off-road vehicle for snow. Barring seriously extreme stuff like in northern Canada, you can get around 99% of the time if you have good snow tires and just take your time.
What area are you moving to? Buffalo city? You’ll be fine, there’s tons of snow removal crews. Drive slow and you’ll get where you’re going. A remote mountain town with hills and it might take days for snow crews to clear the roads? Yeah you might need to get somewhere before then and need a more serious vehicle
I drive through New York State in a Corolla. If I have snow tires the major roads are not a problem. I’ve pushed through a few inches when I’ve accidentally beat the plow. Take it slow and use good tires.
You don’t need an AWD vehicle. Keep your Camry and buy winter tires for the winter.
30+ years living in northern ND here. It depends on how you are as a driver. I have both FWD and RWD vehicles. What I have learned is that you do not need snow tires if your all season tires are decent, but holy man do they make a difference if you can afford them. If you do go the direction of snow tires, it makes sense to invest in a cheap set of wheels to mount then to, to make seasonal swaps easy. I live in the city, so ground clearance isn’t a huge issue, but if you are moving to the back 40 you may want somthing higher than a camry.
Camry with snow tires is going to be fine.
Tires matter more than AWD. I live in Colorado and the only thing I use the AWD for is an occasional sketchy road to a hike.
Get snow tires for the Camry, Crossclimates are sufficient, consider buying a beater Subaru if you want a second vehicle.
I live in Utah. When it snows, not this year apparently, the hardest thing is getting out of the neighborhood so long as you’re not going into the canyons. Because they prioritize freeways, the main streets, and they may plow your your neighborhood a day or two later.
In some places like Denver the roads get plowed by 7 am and the city is pretty flat. Other places like Seattle get way less snow (so appropriately fewer plows kept for the off days when there’s a need) and there are tons of hills. Cars that were parked were sliding down the hills without anyone even trying to move them. In Seattle the city shuts down whereas other places wouldn’t for the same number of inches. As others have said – see what the infrastructure is like in the city/neighborhood you are in if you don’t want to buy a new car.
There was recently a thread on r/askmechanics about a guy who got a fwd car and just put snow tires on, but the problem was he lives on a steep hill that ices over and his car couldn’t get up.
Snow tire will get you 99% of the way, but a decent awd car with snow tires is the maximum you can do short of studs.
In a flat area like Iowa you will be fine with the camry. Once you stsrt going onto dirt paths in winter then you should get an awd.
Go now and see what happens and buy the AWD car later if it seems truly necessary.
This is not a decision that needs to be made right now.
Cross climate 3 from Costco and discount tires
I have a front wheel drive system on two minivans and those tires work great. I don’t get a lot of snow but when I do I’m glad I have those tires
As others said, just get snow tires to start. When you get to the new area, buy a set of used spare wheels for the current car, about 16-17″ wheel size, depending on what fits your car. You can probably find these for $200-300. You might be able to find a spare set of wheels & snow tires in a winter climate that still have life on them which would be about 7mm tread depth or greater. Many new snow tires have new tread depth around 9-11mm. Buy new snow tires if you don’t find a used set. Have the wheel and tires swapped over before the first snow. Wait until after the last snow, like night lows above 40 degrees in the spring before you put your “summer” wheelset back on. Most shops will charge $30-50 to swap your wheels over but this is much better than having your tires re-mounted on the wheels every season. This will extend the lifespan of your “summer” wheelset and give your FWD pretty good winter performance. An AWD/4WD vehicle will be better in deeper snow or off road conditions but winter tires make a huge difference.
you should say where.
If you have mountains, yeah snow tires are absolutely required, and 4wd probably is too.
If not, depends on the level of snow on roads typically. Most places that “get snow” are usually fine, and some all weather tires work well. Roads get plowed, they drop salt or mag-chloride, or sand, etc.
I’m not familiar with Camry, but let me say this: front wheel drive is required, a rear wheel drive car is not gonna make it in snow.
About tires: all weather is probably good, and you use them all year. Snow tires are better for snow, but you probably put snow on in the winter, and regular tires for summer, so you hit the local tire shop to swap them out, and you store them in your garage. You can also get studded tires for snow, those are kick ass, a level above snow tires, but you don’t drive them during the summer. Also, you can put chains on your tires for extreme snow conditions. Yes, literal chains over your tires. That is a level above studs. You probably won’t need that ever.
I would move there first with your Camry. Get proper winter tires for it. Then see how driving is and make a decision based off that.
I drive a forester in Canada and like that I can basically drive anywhere in any weather. I can get to any ski resort on a powder day, any parking area for ice climbing. I can get back to our favourite crown land camping areas in the winter. I only have to consider if the roads are closed if I can make it. But if my car couldn’t handle it I would get comfortable with telling people I can’t make it because the roads are bad (frequently said around here) by people who drive FWD cars and aren’t as motivated to keep their plans. I personally would rather perish than not make it to the ski resort on a huge powder day because the roads are snow covered.
Plenty of people drive Camrys in snowy climate with no issues as long as you have the correct tires and are prepared. Get a portable jumper, keep scrapers, kitty litter, and a blanket in the car. And I strongly suggest finding yourself an empty parking lot and lose control of your car on purpose to learn how to handle it
Depends where you’re going and what your regular roads/access roads will be like.
As a NYC resident and avid skier of the northeast, in most conditions you will be fine with your camry an all-season tires. I drive a hyundai sonata and it generally has no issues. Most areas do a great job clearing snow and maintaining the roads. It can get tricky on steeper roads or driveways, and damn near impossible in poor conditions (although you might not want to be on the road in anything anyway)
An option is to pick up a used 4WD compact/midsize SUV for the winter. Slap winter tires on it during the cold months and it will be an unstoppable vehicle.
Reading OP post only,
Take Camry. Take or buy spare wheels with all-season tires or add those. Don’t worry about buying knobby or ugly, just do what is good for snow. You get to swap the summer wheels back on soon enough. Snow tires on front only could be a budget pinch. You may be urban enough that’s all you need. If not, snow chains on the drive wheels. Practice driving in freshly snowy parking lots.
Oil-wax the car professionally**. Pour oil inside the doors, the sides of the trunk, and spray underneath. Think cosmoline. If it coats and stays, the covered item won’t rust. The insides of things being filled with water-displacing oil keeps them from rusting inside-out.
Winter washer fluid**. Coolant change (I have seen southern U.S. folks run water only, distilled only, or other coolant not suitable for freezing, let alone Duluth weather, for example.)
It doesn’t sound like you’re in heavy need of a second vehicle, or 4WD, or mpg. So if you can bring nice condition 4WD from home to the new place, you might be happier than “oh, we can’t go there with the Camry.”
– ** these items will be available in a “state that gets a lot of snow”
Nobody cares in Vermont. Just don’t drive when it snows
Trial run — with cross climate 2 tires would be my initial instinct. You could, depending on location, even go studded tires.
But, after you arrive, start looking at cars to see what you would like to buy if you get forced that way. With a few exceptions, I think your Camry will be fine.
But context matters here. Driving mountain passes regularly that have chains required unless you are awd/4wd? On a country road with deep snow where clearance is an issue?
I have done a fair bit of mountain snow driving – while rwd was a bit challenging never had an issue with fwd.
A second car does need to be driven regularly, maintained, and insured. So it isn’t just the purchase price.
What happens when you partner can’t get to work when the Camery would be unsafe?
Snow tires are not a big cost when you consider the fact that you’re extending your all seasons. Unless you drive it so little that dry rot would be an issue.
But if you get a big storm and if your partner has to be on site then your making a call of driving in less to unsafe conditions or loosing a job.
If you buy snow tires buy all four. Not just the drive wheels.
Subaru is great in th snow especially with snow tires. I’ve owned three. Cost wise you will be in the ballpark of a Toyota with similar features.
Honestly I’d just get some snow tires on cheap rims.
I’ve got some for my outback in a southern state for our yearly ice/snow storm and I feel that awd isn’t totally necessary besides getting up one steep hill.
How much snow? My commute to work is 180 miles round trip in the Northeast and I drive a Prius C. I’d rather have the gas mileage than the AWD that I may occasionally need. If the car is mechanically fine I’d keep it until it dies and look into an AWD after that if it’s still important to you
Keep your [car.You](http://car.You) don’t need AWD.FWD is good in snow with good snow tires.Get dedicated snow tires.Even the best all season tires are not as good as snow [tires.My](http://tires.My) go-to snow tire is the Michelin Ice-X.They are among the best. And no it doesn’t make sense to purchase an AWD car-even as a second car. Don’t fall for the “all-season crap”.They are not as good as real snow tires!
I did the opposite of you and moved from Minnesota to Texas. here is some advice I can give you. Most of it is more related to cars in snow, but there is some financial advice as well.
– You can honestly wait and see if you want to purchase a different car. Ive driven 60mph theough a foot of snow in an old VW Jetta. Ive bombed down the interstate going 90 in a Ford focus during a flurry. My point being that while the vehicle can make driving in snow easier, the biggest factor is the skill of the driver.
– If you decide to hold off on purchasing a car until you experience the weather, the best advice I can give you is PRACTICE! Ive never heard of any, but there may even be classes you can attend that teaches you how to drive in the snow.
– Find an empty parking lot that hasn’t been plowed and take the time to gun it, slam on the breaks at different speeds, get a feel for how your car drive.
– One thing ive noticed in my time here in the south is that when they would lose traction or get stuck in the snow, they react by gunning it . This is the worst thing you can do if you lose traction ice. slow, consistent speed is how you handle slick roads. if you lose traction, your not going to get it back until you are passed the ice, or you stop because you hit something.
– If you do decide to purchase a new vehicle, awd is more than sufficient to get you through the weather. I drove a Subaru Crosstrek with all season tires for several years and it handled the weather just fine.
– One important note for car maintenance is depending on which state you are in they may use salt on the roads. If this is the case be sure to get your car washed somewhat frequently as the salt can dramatically increase the chances of your car rusting.
Lastly, regardless of if you decide to buy a new vehicle, make sure you have an emergency kit in your car. blankets and heaters are a must incase you get stuck. Though a general rule when driving in snow and cold weather is to never drive any further than you can safely walk home or to a safe, warm location.
Keep the camry and get some decent tires. Yes, AWD is helpful in the snow but for the amount of times it really makes a difference its not worth a major financial move. FWD does well enough if you know how to drive and aren’t trying to get through foot deep snow.
From a north to south transplant.
Northern employers don’t have the mentality/culture of, “It’s snowing, don’t come in, or go home early.” A 10-20-minute drive on snow and ice can quickly turn into an hour-long drive. You can expect to go to work even when there are several feet (or more) of snow on the ground.
Nothing shuts down. No one goes running to the store for bread, eggs, and milk.
In the north, they start salting roads when the weather forecast calls for snow or ice. The plows are out as soon as the snow starts falling, and they operate 24/7 until the roads are passable.
You may be able to get by some winters with just snow tires, but you really need at least one AWD vehicle.
And buy a snow shovel or snow blower, and a bag of salt or sand. Keep one bag at home and one in your car. It also helps to put a small shovel in the car for digging out. You’ll also need hats and gloves. Keep some protein bars in your car, too, in case you get stranded. Make sure you have good windshield wipers and keep the de-icer windshield solution filled up for your windows. You may need a different type of oil for the colder months. Also, get a long-handled ice scraper for each car.
The Camry has one distinct advantage: front wheel drive. However, the low wheel clearance may become an issue. Dont fall for the temptation to buy a big truck because you think it will be better in the snow. Most pickups are typically rear-wheel drive and will lose traction if you dont have a heavy load in the bed. Front-wheel drive cars have their load, the engine, always over the drive wheels and the turn wheels. So if we are being objective the ideal car would be something that is FWD with a 4WD/AWD option, that has a higher wheel clearance, and space to carry things like emergency blankets, a jack &spare tire, has a tow hitch and a tow point on the front and if its very cold a block heater. Now thats the ideal im just trying to point out things you may want as options as you look at your car situation. You may not need all those things but you may be glad you have them when you need them.
One last thing, dont overlook the value of good winter tires. When I lived in Germany everyone swapped out their tires in the fall and spring for their winter or summer tires. All weather tires are available but that is another financial decision to evaluate. You may be able to get by for a while in the Camry with the right tires.
I moved from the Los Angeles area to Montana about 20 years ago.
Make sure your fluids are good for cold. Get snow tires. Ask people when you get there what they recommend. We had studded snow tires, they were great.
With those things, you’ll probably be fine.
I think it depends on how many inches of snow, but like most others have said, snow tires are usually adequate. AWD is no doubt better, but I’d start with snow tires for at least one winter first.
Visit a place like Montreal or Quebec City and you’ll see in the cities most people drive smaller fwd vehicles, winter tires are the law for the winter there. Camry would be a fine car for anywhere that has a true winter driving season. Try it out you can always change once there
Get something with AWD/4WD. This is your safety and the safety of the one you love. Not worth the potential headache if it snows often. I live in Washington, it’s snows MAYBE once or twice and every year, and tens of thousands of cars are stuck and damaged.