Advise me: Moving north, taking car with?

Alright hive, help me out here. I'm moving from Atlanta up to Michigan in the early spring (~late January), and will begin a full time job with a commute of somewhere between 60 and 100 miles total each day. Currently, I drive a 2000 Ford Expedition 2WD. I'm the 2nd owner, 1st was a family friend who took great care of it. I got a decent deal on it, but have had to replace the heater core and a few other miscellaneous parts. I've put around 30k on it in just under 2 years. 

Moving to Michigan and commuting with this car doesn't seem like a great idea. I love the car, and it's great for hauling crap and towing (I do haul crap inside a bunch, but haven't towed much), but I don't see it as a continued commuter.  

If I move with the Expedition to Michigan, it would help me get stuff up there, but decrease the relative worth I think. I also have no experience driving in snow and I don't know how good a 2WD Expedition would be for that. 

I feel like selling it in the south to buy something AWD/4WD capable and smaller is my best bet so that I can start with a relatively rust-free something. I would have to use the profits from the Expedition sale to purchase something different, so I'm a little limited on that front.  

What says the hive?

One thing you will soon learn: Salt.  Road salt, that is...

It's not uncommon for folks in the salt-belt to have a Summer car and a Winter car, the latter being cheap and generally disposable, since they often only last a few years.  

Good tires trump multiple drive axles. Get thee some dedicated snows. Also, places that get snow have the infrastructure to deal with snow, so you spend less time slogging through a foot of fresh than you might think. That said, 4WD trucks are going to be cheaper in the South and 2WD trucks will be worth more in the South.

More importantly for Michigan is the ability to swallow up terrible, terrible pavement. Seriously, everyone in the US thinks they have bad roads but Michigan is the hands down winner.

Also, if you consider early January to be "early spring", you're going to have to recalibrate your mental calendar. Early spring is March or April. Early January is dead nuts the middle of winter.

This hive says look for another job. 

Plus one to everything keith said. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Oh....I think Illinois can give Michigan a run for the worst roads in  the U.S.    Keith is right though, in the upper Midwest, Winter starts around Halloween, and Spring doesn't start until mid April.   Feb is the worst, and March is very, very wet.  (in like a Lion.....out like a Lamb)  

Although your truck is 2wd, it's also most likely rust-free, which will be desirable up North.   Although handy, you really don't need 4wd unless you will have to deal with rural-- unplowed roads on a regular basis.   When it snows, they dump the salt liberally, so as long as  you are careful, you should be fine. 

Buy a beater for the Winter and a fun car for the Summer.  Midwestern Winters absolutely destroy cars.

Ford Tempo's used to be the winter beater of choice. 

Also, late January is still winter. Sorry to burst your bubble. Spring starts in March. 4wd (like in an old truck) is a great thing for snow. AWD is even better if it's a smart system. But a 2wd with snow tires can be a good combo too. That truck might be a hard sell up here since it is 2wd but it's probably way more rust free than the same condition Northern truck.

A 2wd SUV on good tires will do fine in most any weather you'd encounter in the Metro Detroit region, especially in a suburban area. That being said, yeah an Expedition isn't an ideal long distance commuter if you're the one paying for gas.  I would sell it and pick up a good commuter down there.

My favorite combination for winter is fwd, lightweight, and winter tires.  Also, yes, the roads can be pretty terrible up here.  I like 14" or 15" wheels on my little cars for more sidewall between potholes and rims.

If other reasons dont have you selling it (maintenice or fuel economy), I would get a set of snow tires and have at.   That said, you probably want to have an anti-corrosion treatment applied.  Many southern cars have wear on anti-corrosion coatings that could make them rust fairly quickly when exposed to salt.   Best to head that off a bit.

I DD'd a non-LSD miata in western md (lots of snow) and had to go up dirt/gravel roads that were snowcovered.  The snow tires made that a non-issue.  Only issue was rust.

4wd/awd willl help you accelerate, they dont do squat for brakes...  2wd with snows will work better on that front.

To go ahead and clear any misconceptions, I am used to referring to January as "Early spring Semester". I have no misconceptions about how brutal January in Michigan will be, especially compared to Georgia.

I'm as worried about MPG as I am about driving on snow I guess, and trying to maximize value wherever/if I sell the Expedition.

a 2wd suv will be a hard sell to a soccer mom in michigan.  You may find someone interested in one for hauling, but I don't see people around here clamoring for trucks from Texas or other parts south.  People like the idea of it, but the demand isn't there for the added cost.

 Here's what I'd do... Sell the expedition... buy a nice rust free subaru.  Sell subaru in Michigan for what you paid + profit + up north subau tax...

Drive a car you don't care about in the snow with the best snow tires you can afford. They might outlast the car you put them on due to rust. If this thing goes and stops and doesn't owe you anything, it's as good as anything else.

Fix the heatercore, now. Unheated vehicles are undriveable in Michigan winters.

He talks about fixing the heater core in the past tense.

My first thought was Subaru as well, but that doesn't have the interior volume of an Expedition if carrying stuff inside is a factor.

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :

Soccer moms aren't buying a 17 year old SUV regardless.  Here the market would be the "country boy" highschool kids with their LED bars and cut-off mufflers.

Still, your point remains.  Just replace "Subaru" with "Rust free Honda."  I don't know that SE Michigan has the same enthusiasm for Subies as the Northwestern or Northeasternly regions of the country.

The "gotta have 4wd for winter" mentality really only applies to trucks or big (rwd) luxury cars here.

In reply to classicJackets :

2 wheel drive is nearly worthless when the. white stuff falls.  That makes it near worthless

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :Subaru will not be as welcome in Michigan as nearly anyplace else in the US

they still resent imports there

Good snow tires work wonders with 2WD. That and don't exceed the limits; yours, vehicle or conditions. We used to have a saying about 4WD. 4WD will get you further stuck. Not saying 4WD isn't helpful, it is when used right. But nothing helps on ice.

After all, 2WD is what you currently have and upgrading to a 4WD will cost. What is this profit you talk about if selling? A decent 4WD/AWD of comparable condition will cost more than a 2WD is generally worth.

In reply to frenchyd :

while I agree with you, I haven't seen a fat bill cap wearing, vaping, youngster who doesn't want to fork over his entire life savings for a clapped out wrx.

On a side note.  I'm only about 20-30 minutes from you.  We should meet for an adult beverage or three.  I'm in Carver county.

In reply to wlkelley3 : I live in Minnesota and even I know that snow tires help but SWMBO wants AWD 

tuna55 said:

Drive a car you don't care about in the snow with the best snow tires you can afford. They might outlast the car you put them on due to rust. If this thing goes and stops and doesn't owe you anything, it's as good as anything else.

Exactly. It's paid for currently and RWD cars do just fine in the snow with a good set of snow tires or possibly a set of those cable "chains" if it gets bad. Unless you can pull a premium for it in the South and get something you don't care about for zero money over what you sold it for then drive it until it dies.

I drove a 2WD 4Runner with the 2.7 in it for years in the snow up here. If there's less than a few inches of the snow on the ground it'll go through it with zero hesitation. I didn't make a habit of driving it through a foot of snow for a long distance. That's pretty rare anyway.

In reply to frenchyd :

I lived in Tacoma, WA for a couple years and Fairbanks, AK for a few years. Tacoma and half of the time in Alaska I only had 2WD with good snow tires. Admit I did buy a 4X4 K5 Blazer in Alaska but that was because the FWD car I had needed expensive repairs and I wanted an off road capable vehicle. Had friends that only drove 2WD with good snow tires there. Admit AWD is great and you want what you want but necessary? Not really unless you go off paved roads. Just saying what you have is cheaper than buying something special. And moving can put a strain on the bank account. Getting a AWD/4WD is something that can be delayed.

My parents basically use the 4WD on their 4Runner only to get up their steep driveway, and to get up their street which is an uphill cul-de-sac. It is literally the last street plowed, and they still only use the 4WD about twice a year. They live about 15 miles south of Wisconsin, 7 miles east of Lake Michigan. My dad has been stuck exactly three times in the past 20 years, 15 of those years in RWD vehicles--two times it was on the driveway, the third time just barely on the street outside the driveway--all times stuck were in RWD vehicles without snow tires. 

While I don't think the Expedition is the droid you are looking for, you don't need AWD or 4WD. I wouldn't say no to it either, but don't seek it out specifically unless you're living in a rural area or want to do AWD stuff. Whatever you do, do get snow tires or good all seasons. Driving in snow is basically like driving in an autocross at the limit, except the limit may be as low as 5 mph. Think about like driving on cold R-Comps in the rain. Some tips:

• Going is not the problem, stopping is. Give yourself plenty of room to do it.
• You do not turn if your wheels are not moving. Hitting the brake in a turn and locking the wheels means you are going to go straight. Let the wheels move. I even prefer engine braking because of this.
• Make sure everything is super smooth. Just like autocross, smooth is better.
• Don't romp on the accelerator. Slow acceleration is usually faster, otherwise you will spin the tires.

And use good sense. If there is a foot of snow on the ground, wait for the plow. It won't take long.

So I moved out to Michigan from California and brought my 3 cars with me. I daily drive a 2WD 1992 F-150 and have honestly had no problems with the snow/ice. Just make sure you get some decent snow tires and you will be just fine...it's so flat around here that getting traction is not usually an issue. 

Personally, I'd probably bring the Expedition. You can use it to help move out, and it will be a lot nicer than most of the garbage rusted out used cars around here. If you decide it's not the right vehicle for commuting, you can probably sell it for quite a bit more in Michigan than elsewhere.