It has suddenly become absolutely freezing here in New York, which can only mean winter is quickly approaching. Here, cars and bikes will disappear under blankets during the colder months as their drivers and riders head to the subway (except for those of us brave and stupid enough to keep riding motorcycles all winter), but in the suburbs and rural parts of the United States there is no public transportation to fall back on. People have to drive all winter long, but those who do not want to fill the undercarriages of their expensive enthusiast cars with road salt will switch to an age-old type of second car: the winter beater.
However, today we are not here to talk about winter beaters in general. We are here to find out empirically, scientifically and conclusively which car is the best winter beater. Any car with sufficient justification can qualify, as long as it’s available cheaply, which brings us to the question of the day: what’s the best winter beater?
I vote for Subaru
For my choice, I have to choose a car manufacturer that I have loved for years: Subaru. New England is littered with rusted, rotten Subies that have lived their entire lives in the snowy months of years past, and over the decades have proven to be unstoppable winter cars. Buy a bugeye, blobeye or hawkeye WRX, throw a pair of Sparco Terra wheels wrapped in Blizzaks on each corner and let the sound of a spooling turbo carry you across the river and through the forest. Hopefully on the road, knowing WRX drivers.
My pick for the best winter beater is an old Subaru WRX, but which is yours? Do you think a Miata should take you all year round, or do you live in a magical land of fantasy where Evos are cheap enough to count as a beater? Leave your answers below, with bonus points for winter beaters you’ve actually had.
#winter #beater #Jalopnik