<p>I may very well go to a college in Maine or Massachusetts and was wondering what college students who have cars do up there during the cold winters with regard to car maintenance. Ive lived in Texas my whole life so I've never seen snow. Is it as hard as people tell me? I can get used to the weather but I'm worried about my car.</p>
<p>Well if the people telling you this are Texans......why listen?? It is not that hard, streets are not snow/ice covered everyday. Driving on snow/ice is a learning curve......most New Englanders weren't born knowing how to drive on ice/snow. Road treatment is excellent, you will learn and the worst thing you should have to deal w/ is digging your car out of a blizzard drift, if you don't have covered parking. Hey......snow is a beautiful thing.</p>
<p>hey, just keep a snow shovel and a scraper in your trunk. its not the bad, well, at least in ny. and also, when expecting a big snow storm, dont park in the street. the plows will deluge your car in snow. this is coming from a ny'er who has had to deal with his fair share of big storms (though new york is almost definitely not as bad as maine, and probably not as bad as mass.)</p>
<p>Snow + person from texas + Boston drivers=bad combination</p>
<p>If you come to school in or around Boston I highly doubt that you would need a car or even want one...parking in unbelievably hard in the city and the trolley can take you wherever you want to go. Maine on the other hand...</p>
<p>dont bring a car that you really love...its ok to dive but the salt on the roads is bad, it will rust it out. Personally i think that driving in rain is worse then snow and ice. but i drive a volvo with snowtires so i guess i have an advantage or so the marketers would have me beleive</p>
<p>that's too bad. I just finalized my college list and it turns out i'll be applying to one college way up there and that's hampshire college. I dislike Boston though and wouldnt plan on ever going there...The rest are in texas and various places in the southeast. I take it bringing a fairly new car up there would be a bad idea then. The next farthest place Im applying to is North Carolina, hope it's okay up there.</p>
<p>which car would u guys recommend?</p>
<p>keep kitty litter in trunk - great when you need traction in snow and slush - just throw some under the tire.</p>
<p>Regarding what car? One popular because of price but has 4WD is Subaru</p>
<p>i second what everyone's said...as a near-the-montreal-canadian-border-new-yorker i've endured many a cold winter...
(a lot of this is probably more geared towards a Maine-choice college because i don't think Mass got what we got compared to cold (snow, maybe))
hints...
1) DEFINATELY do the kitty litter thing. it might prove to be a lifesaver (especially if you're in a remote area where nobody seems to be around, happened a lot where i was from)
2) get a car that has 4 wheel drive, or get snow tires. actually, get both.
3) if you gotta go slow: DRIVE slow. seriously. i can't count how many accidents i've seen people get in because of snow and ice on the roads but they think they're so invicincble they can't slow down.
4) make yourself a car kit with flashlights, nonperishable food, blankets, gloves, clothes, batteries, shovel, among the normal stuff (flares and etc) if you break down and it's 30 below, you'll really appreciate having it in your car
5) get an automatic car starter. best thing my mom ever did, because you don't have to haul yourself out there an hour before you leave to make sure the car starts and is warm and toasty
6) this might sound stupid (i'm sorry if it does) but don't go driving for the first time in a heavy snow. i only say that because that's what i almost did, and i almost got into a car wreck (it was after school so i had no choice but to leave)
7) i can't remember what it's called but there's a gas that you put in your gas tank that'll help against water getting into it. do that. i wish i would've with my car
8) i agree with not bringing a car you really love. i drive a tiburon, and in winter weather conditions, i crashed the front of it into another car due to sliding. i was stuck in a geo prism for the rest of the winter.
9) whenever its a nice day, wash your car. at least just a little to spray the salt off, because it'll eat the paint away from your car like there's no tomorrow
and lastly, you should see if you can talk to someone who goes to the colleges up north that you're interested in and ask them (if they have cars) what they usually do in the winter. i know that mass is a lot less brutal in winters than maine or where i'm from, so it's all just a matter of location.</p>
<p>:) good luck</p>
<p>Depends on where in Massachusetts or Maine....</p>
<p>If you are going to rural Maine, you'll need a car to get around, but the snow will be horrible. Get a new car battery (if you don't have one), antifreeze, and snow tires if your car needs them. Find a good snow brush, ice scraper, etc. </p>
<p>Great advice from the poster one up. :)</p>
<p>The only other thing I can suggest is to figure out how to drive in your type of car (front wheel or rear-wheel, ABS or no ABS, automatic or standard).<br>
*Once you get good, standards are easier to drive in bad weather; until that point, have fun fishtailing and sliding until you get the hang of it.<br>
*If you have older ABS (early 90s), be aware that the car might not stop when the ABS kicks in - I once slid through a stop sign (thankfully across an empty street) and found that out the scary way. Practice in a snowy parking lot.
*Rear-wheel drive cars will fishtail when you accelerate during a turn in icy weather. When you have to turn, slow down (to about 10 mph) and let the momentum of the car pull you through the turn. When you start to straighten out, accelerate.<br>
*Keep your out-of-state plates. New Englanders will give you a wide berth in the snow. ;)</p>
<p>Learn to drive in snow, in a parking lot. Or just don't drive in the snow (yeah, get used to listening to the weather and planning ahead). I moved to the South (north of you, so we get some snow), and there are horrible car wrecks every time a few inches comes down. </p>
<p>If you are going to school in downtown Boston, leave the car at home - for many reasons, snow being at least one of them.</p>
<p>thanks tiburon and ariesa, those were great posts... base on those informative posts, I think I might only apply to one college up north, that being in amherst. the next closest colleges would be in north carolina, so I think I'd be safe there. Even though my car is new, it doesnt have abs or 4wd so I think I'll play if safe, even though there might be a good chance of me going up north to amherst</p>
<p>no problem pkarr :) glad that my years in the north could help someone else out :)</p>
<p>being in mass you'll definately avoid the -30 below that's very popular in maine (we got it a lot where i was too) last winter, if i remember right, mass got a lot of snow, but i always said i'd take the snow over the cold. </p>
<p>good luck :) and if you have any more living-in-the-north questions don't hestiate to ask :) i just moved from the north down to fl so i'll see how much i can remember from being there</p>
<p>This may sound random, but get a really strong rope/chain with hooks at both ends. That way, if you go into a drift/ditch and can't get out, if someone stops to help, you can spread your kitty litter under your tires, hook up your car to the helper's car, and go in reverse while they haul your car out. It's a very handy thing.</p>
<p>common sense- just dont drive in the snow. plows come out pretty often/quickly in most areas. ive lived in new england all my life, and only rarely have i driven in a snow storm. its just not worth it. besides, snow days on a college campus are amazing!</p>