Do I *need* All Wheel Drive?

I have the AWD Volvo wagon and I also debated the pros and cons of that decision. For my family, the mpg trade-off seems justified as we don't regularly drive much anyhow. The 5 cylinder with turbo is powerful and fairly efficient (better than my 6cyl. SUV). The clearance is not great but has only been a problem for me once or twice.
The only other car that I have had that even came close in terms of traction was our early 90's Legacy. That car was cool because it had an "off road" option which lifted the suspension a couple of inches. It probably negatively effected traction control a bit but was helpful in deep snow. We liked that car pretty well. Maybe you need an economy daily driver and a cheap dedicated ski rig, stickers and all. Maybe extra lights, rocket box, a small plow... I think that's your answer. If you can't get your hands on the vintage Escort due to their popular demand, I'll bet you can scoop up grandmas old suby for cheap.

Come to think of it; (is that the proper use of the semi colon?) Skierlyles just bought one of the small Subaru AWD's. The Impreza Sport I believe. That seems to be targeted at you.

All that being said, I have never set out to ski and not arrived due to my car. I have ditched the car and hitched to the pass a couple of times but I always made it and so will you if you are dedicated. Besides, if your rig sucks, your buddies are more likely to drive you.

I have a Toyota Matrix xr awd wth all weather tires (2003). Great mileage if you keep your foot out of it. Sits a little low, but considering that is my only complaint, I give it two thumbs up.

It's amazing how location changes perspective. In Wenatchee we typically deal with snow and ice covered roads for the Entire months of December and January. I have a VW Eurovan with snow tires and we've never had a problem with it driving daily on ice, packed snow, wet snow or slush. This includes several trips to Mission Ridge, Blewett Pass and sometimes Steven's Pass a week. Front wheel drive with good snow tires, not snow rated all season tires, will get you through 99% of the driving you do. For those times you need chains consider SpikeSpiders, the CHP uses them and they literally take seconds to put on.

The only other car that I have had that even came close in terms of traction was our early 90's Legacy.  That car was cool because it had an "off road" option which lifted the suspension a couple of inches. 

Snow Bell,

Still have my '93 Legacy.  It had that very same feature and was a great snow mobile.  Still have it with 245,000 miles on it.  That levitation feature was lost when the pneumatic shocks went out on it after ~170k miles and it was cheaper to have the whole suspension replaced than getting new shocks.  I think that it may have been one of the all time best snow cars.  Probably rivaled the GL style Subaru.  I have never once used anything but all weather tires on the car, never used chains except once in the neighborhood on ice, and I have done trips up to Stevens and other places almost every weekend during the past 4 winters in all kinds of snow conditions. 

The car is really suffering right now, with the drivers side window lifter broken and after it had an accident last spring.  But I just cannot seem to get rid of it.  I will probably buy an old used Subaru, since I have heard on this forum that the newer ones just are not a snow savvy.

Regarding this post, I think that front wheel drive should be fine for most of the snow-controlled roads, but the tires are extremely important.  My wife's front wheel drive volvo was horrible in the snow, but once we wore out the factory supplied tires (which are almost always a performance style tire) it does much better with the typical Michelin all weather tire.

Alan

Diesels suck.  They sicken you and your kids and the neiqhbors kids.  Europe is having really big health problems because of the switch to diesels.  EPA will probably not allow the AWD diesels in the US.

The problem is not chemical pollution, but particulates.  Bunker fuel burning ships, diesel trucks and heavy equipment, and diesel school buses cause a 40% increase in adult-onset asthma in Seattle in the 90s.  New diesels with particulate filters are better, but I haven't seen any documentation on how much particulates they emit.

/s/ an adult-onset asthma victim who quickly suffocates behind diesels, including Volkswagens, Mercedes, and US PU trucks.

Oh yeah, and our old Subaru Legacy Outback was by far the best handling vehicle we've had for icy and snowy roads. My Dodge Hemi PU with 20 inch wheels and 10 ply M&S in low 4WD does better in snow deeper than 8 inches, altho it can get stuck too Haven't checked mileage, but there are alternatives to the Sub out there, like the Rav4 etc.

Yes, the carbon "soot' that diesels put out is now considered a significant health problem.

One source that really irks me is UPS trucks! I remember some years ago a business report about how efficient UPS was and noted that their trucks had a major positive impact on their business. Well I guess they didn't take into account the fact that one UPS truck seems to put out more diesel soot than most 18 wheelers. It bugs me that I have to go get an emission test every so often yet these black smokers are out on the road at will. My guess is that "efficiency" means the cheapest damn power train possible, with no regulations requiring them to spend a dime on pollution control.

Alan