It’s suddenly gotten absolutely freezing here in New York City, which can only mean that winter is fast approaching. Here, cars and bikes will disappear under covers for the colder months as their drivers and riders head for the subway (save for those of us brave and dumb enough to keep riding motorcycles all winter), but out in the suburbs and rural parts of the United States there’s no public transit to fall back on. Folks have to keep driving all winter long, but those who don’t want to fill the undercarriages of their precious enthusiast cars with road salt will turn to a time-honored type of second car: The winter beater.
Today, though, we’re not here to talk about winter beaters in general. We’re here to find out, empirically and scientifically and conclusively, what car makes the best winter beater. Any car with sufficient justification can qualify, so long as it can be had for cheap, which brings us to the question of the day: What’s the best winter beater?
I vote Subaru
For my pick, I have to go with a carmaker I’ve loved for years: Subaru. New England is littered with rusted, rotted-out Subies that have lived their life entirely in the years’ snowy months, and over the decades they’ve proven to be unstoppable winter cars. Get yourself a bugeye, blobeye, or hawkeye WRX, throw some Sparco Terra wheels wrapped in Blizzaks on each corner, and let the sound of a spooling turbo carry you over the river and through the woods. Hopefully on a road, knowing WRX drivers.
My pick for the best winter beater is an old Subaru WRX, but what’s yours? Do you think a Miata should ferry you all year long, or do you live in some magic land of make-believe where Evos are cheap enough to count as a beater? Leave your answers below, with bonus points for winter beaters you’ve actually owned.
