More than 1 in 4 car shoppers in Texas and Wyoming have committed to paying more than $1,000 a month, and experts say it is due to the high volume of large truck purchases in those states, according to a report by auto site Edmunds.
More than 1 in 5 shoppers in seven other states — Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Utah — are also forking over more than $1,000 for their vehicles each month.
I live in a snowy area, and most of the accidents in the winter seem to involve trucks and SUVs. It’s probably just because trucks and SUVs are more popular in my area, but there’s something to be said for getting overconfident, after all, all cars have four wheel braking.
I have never bought snow tires in >10 years of living here, have only driven two wheel drive cars, and I’ve never wrecked a car. I did slide into a snowbank once with my sporty car when in college, but I was going slow enough that it wasn’t hard to get out (just threw down some microfiber rags to get traction and reversed). I try to avoid unplowed roads, so it’s just not needed once the roads are cleared.
I hate driving SUVs and trucks, and I only put up with my minivan because it’s so practical with kids (I have three).
I lived in snowy af Ohio for 8 years with a Kia Sephia. I was poorer than now then and couldn’t afford snow tires yet I made it just fine. I’d always see trucks and SUVs driving crazy fast down the highway, and saw 2 crash right in front of me.
I’m with you, people do not need SUVs for the snow.
Yup. A set of snow tires will do much more for you than AWD or 4WD, though it’ll never hold a candle to snow tires + AWD/4WD. But snow tires and FWD is plenty for pretty much everyone that’s not regularly offroading in deep snow. If you’re really worried about it, get studs.
Make sure to take them off in the spring because they wear out really fast when it’s not cold. Swapping them shouldn’t cost a ton (like $100 or so), and snow tires are usually a bit cheaper than regular tires. It’s certainly less expensive than gas longer term.