Also good to know.What did a replacement tire run you?

madlee wrote:There was a recent This American Life about car salespeople. By the end of it, I actually felt bad for them.http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-a ... 3/129-carsI heard that!Yes, it's not something I'd like to do, especially in the Internet Age.When I bought the Fit (new), I used the "Fighting Chance" method as suggested by FM Tim Midyett.This time (If I do this thing), I'll be purchasing a used vehicle, and will be fueled by Seasonal Rage...

Superking wrote:Hello,I need someone with a clearer head than mine to advise me on the following hypothetical thing I might do this week:I currently have a 2010 Honda Fit Sport. It's got just under 50K miles on it. It's in good shape - standard little cosmetic issues for a car its age.It's been great, mostly. But it sucks in the snow. It's fine in lighter wintry situations, but today - in Chicago - it's worthless (and stuck in a parking spot on the street).Assuming I can get it out of that spot this week, I've got half a mind to drive the thing to CarMax and trade it in for a used AWD vehicle - probably a Honda (CR-V) or Toyota with higher mileage (60-75K).Price for the AWD is $15K - $19K. The Fit will probably get between $7K - $10K on trade-in.Please advise: do I need to be talked off the ledge, or is this a perfectly reasonable idea?Thanks,Mr. King Have you thought about snow tires? Good ones can turn a horrible in the snow car into a totally drivable one. My stepmom had a Honda minivan that was just terrible in the snow. She got Nokian snow tires and the thing became downright good in the snow. I have a Toyota Tacoma 2WD pickup and it is obviously horrible in the snow. Last year I bought a set of Nokian all weather tires that are specifically designed for heavy snow use and it made a huge difference. We've had a lot of snow so far this winter and I'm really happy that I have them. Huge improvement. My Dad also has a Tacoma and has dedicated Nokian snow tires and his truck is even better than mine with them.

Superking wrote:elisha wiesner wrote: Have you thought about snow tires? Good ones can turn a horrible in the snow car into a totally drivable one. My stepmom had a Honda minivan that was just terrible in the snow. She got Nokian snow tires and the thing became downright good in the snow. I have a Toyota Tacoma 2WD pickup and it is obviously horrible in the snow. Last year I bought a set of Nokian all weather tires that are specifically designed for heavy snow use and it made a huge difference. We've had a lot of snow so far this winter and I'm really happy that I have them. Huge improvement. My Dad also has a Tacoma and has dedicated Nokian snow tires and his truck is even better than mine with them.This is a very interesting idea, and something I hadn't thought about at all.Is it advised that the snow tires come off in the Spring, and back on in the winter?Do you think they mike a tiny-ass version for the Honda Fit? I seem to recall tires for the Fit (normal tires) being somewhat hard to come by.In any case, innnnnteresting....P.S. Fuck this winter in the face.I used to have a few different three and five series BMWs (all RWD, of course). With a good set of snow tires, they were better than fine in the snow. Snow tires are a lot cheaper than going and getting a new(er) car just because winter is a hassle, which it is. But it'll be March soon, and it won't matter as much. Also, have you ever replaced the tires on the Fit? Most FWD cars, with decent tire tread are ok in the snow.

tmidgett wrote:Mr King!My next car will be AWD, whenever that happens.I like cars, and many of the exciting things about cars are absent from our 2002 Forester.But every time I pull over a foot-high berm of snow and ice and into our driveway, I realize I'll never be able to get rid of it. Unless we get another car quite like it or move to another climate.That said--snow tires should help a lot. You ever been to Ashland Tire? I really like those guys.Good luck.TimYep, Ashland tire is where I got the snows for all the BMWs I've had. They may suggest a package that includes tires and wheels/rims. They aren't trying to rip you off. The other set of wheels/rims for the snow tires makes changing the tires back and forth easier. Easier as in you could do it with a jack in the street if you wanted to. You wouldn't need to get them rebalanced either. I've done it both ways, with and without separate rims/wheels. It's up to your wallet.

You do not need AWD. It's nice, but you do not need it. FWD and snow tires are all you need in the winteriest urban environment. Get another set of rims with proper winter tires on them and switch 'em over at the start and end of winter. Both RWD and all-season tires are bullshit in heavy snow. I would not fuck with winter in Montreal without winter tires, whatever my vehicle.

tmidgett wrote:Mr King!My next car will be AWD, whenever that happens.I like cars, and many of the exciting things about cars are absent from our 2002 Forester.But every time I pull over a foot-high berm of snow and ice and into our driveway, I realize I'll never be able to get rid of it. Unless we get another car quite like it or move to another climate.That said--snow tires should help a lot. You ever been to Ashland Tire? I really like those guys.Good luck.TimA car back, I bought an Explorer from friends of my dad's who found out they had twins on the way and wanted to have the option of buy something bigger/different.The first time I turned the four wheel drive on in the winter, it was like seeing a rainbow for the first time.So yeah, I completely echo what Tim is saying.

madmanmunt wrote:You do not need AWD. It's nice, but you do not need it. FWD and snow tires are all you need in the winteriest urban environment. Get another set of rims with proper winter tires on them and switch 'em over at the start and end of winter. Both RWD and all-season tires are bullshit in heavy snow. I would not fuck with winter in Montreal without winter tires, whatever my vehicle.The weird thing is, I've been driving FWD cars for 25 years or so in South Dakota, Nebraska, Chicago. I've never owned a 4WD/AWD vehicle, and for that matter I've never had snow tires. Which suddenly seems strange to me. It's never really been a problem until this winter, with this car and these tires.I'll talk to the Ashland Tire folks. I would prefer to not get a whole new set of tires and rims, mostly because I'm not sure where I would store them when not in use. Could probably find a corner of the basement in our building, I guess.Ballpark, how much more are the extra rims going to set a guy back, vs. just getting the snow tires? I'd ideally like to get snow-burly tires that I don't need to swap out.You have no idea how excited I am about this snow tire idea.Still going to get an AWD car next time around, but I would prefer to do that in a few years, rather than this week. I've got a crazy idea that my "car savings fund" will be big enough to just pay cash for the thing, or put down a $20,000 down payment.

madlee wrote:Just wondering if car salespeople know when you are using the fighting chance method or not?None of the dealerships who ended up "playing ball" mentioned anything about it - although the guy I ended up buying the Fit from asked me if I used to sell cars.The thing is, I'm not sure it would matter if they knew, unless there were multiple Fighting Chancers trying the same thing, at the same dealership, at the same time.The basic philosophy of FC is that you try to smoke out the dealership that needs to sell that last car or two for the quarter in order to make some huge bonus. Ideally, that bonus is so huge that they'll take a loss on the car to make that number.

elisha wiesner wrote: Have you thought about snow tires? Good ones can turn a horrible in the snow car into a totally drivable one. My stepmom had a Honda minivan that was just terrible in the snow. She got Nokian snow tires and the thing became downright good in the snow. I have a Toyota Tacoma 2WD pickup and it is obviously horrible in the snow. Last year I bought a set of Nokian all weather tires that are specifically designed for heavy snow use and it made a huge difference. We've had a lot of snow so far this winter and I'm really happy that I have them. Huge improvement. My Dad also has a Tacoma and has dedicated Nokian snow tires and his truck is even better than mine with them.This is a very interesting idea, and something I hadn't thought about at all.Is it advised that the snow tires come off in the Spring, and back on in the winter?Do you think they mike a tiny-ass version for the Honda Fit? I seem to recall tires for the Fit (normal tires) being somewhat hard to come by.In any case, innnnnteresting....P.S. Fuck this winter in the face.