OK im in Mass. winters get pretty bad here. theres some pretty good priced older 94-95 4x4 explorers around here for about $1500 (around 100k miles)but reliablility is questionable. And resale value on the explorer after winter id prob lose some cash! If i were to buy winter tires id get the best i could.. id rather not put my G through the winter torture, and i think 4 winter tires would be quite pricey.. I actually think as im writing this that im convincing myself to buy a beater and keep the G safe and warm, haha but id love some opionions and NE G owners a plus.. thanks guys
-Adam

 

buy a beater. My car has been sleeping for like 2 weeks. and it hasn't even started raining in california yet.

Next week its gonna rain tho.

 

I'm not really in that sort of situation as I live in the midwest. My G is my daily driver though. If I had to battle snow (in significant amounts) then I would definitely get a beater. We get enough snow in STL to make it a pain about twice a year. Other than that, its just cold and crappy.

 

if u don't mind driving the G through the winter then i suggest u just go out and buy some winter tires. i paid 1700$cdn for all 4 of my pirelli 210s. why in the world would someone want to buy some el'cheapo 4x4... and have to worry about insurace, maintenance, reliability, etc, etc...

 

it pains me to walk by the G in the garage every morning to get into the contour SVT but last night when i got spayed with rocks by a truck i was rather happy that it was the beater and not the G.... Calgary winters suck azz. Ill take a pic of the SVT....just that image alone with all the crud on it will make you want to get a beater.

 

I'd get a cheap beater myself for not much more that the price of 4 snows and rims.
Saves ware and tare (salt etc) on the G too.....

C.

 

I say go for the beater. Here in central Calif. we don't get very exteme weather, just rain and I love not having to worry about my car being dirty, whats in the puddles you come up to and not having to wash the grime and oil off the underneath. Although my beater isn't really a beater it's a nice jeep wrangler.
Lisa

 

Get a beater!

I bought a 4x4 Tacoma specifically for the purposes of driving in our crappy Massachusetts winters and could not be happier with the results.... plus, owning a slow 4x4 makes you appreciate your G35 and it's also a good vehicle to take whenever you have to go park in a bad area or something like that. My G doesn't get driven from December till mid April, and it's definitely managed to stay in great condition as a result. The stock tires on these things are hardly useable in dry weather cooler than 30 degrees... never mind winter snow and ice.

For your own personal safety, and for the safety of your G35... I suggest buying a 4x4. If your G's paid for, you could even take it off the road and store it all winter then reregister it in spring and save a bunch on your insurance.

Another fun 4x4 benefit is the joy of winter snow-wheeling and offroading. Just don't go too hardcore, or you might end up wasting a bunch of money fixing the freshly broken 4x4 parts.

Where you from in Mass? I live in Raynham.