First Time Winter Driving With 350z
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 567
Likes: 1
From: Ohio, Cleveland
I say +1 on the beater. I live in a tropical climate and have a DD beater. 85 camry. 136kmiles. Prob would not do so well in snow, however for $100 it was worth all of the 7000 miles ive put on it in the last year opposed to the Z. look for a simple POS DD
I see your point, but consider all the costs of a “beater.”
By definition, a “beater” is a car that has been beaten to near to its useful life. That means there are some economy issues. For example, when you buy a beater:
Buying 4 snow tires is a lot less than maintaining a junk car.
--Spike
By definition, a “beater” is a car that has been beaten to near to its useful life. That means there are some economy issues. For example, when you buy a beater:
- Do you get 4 new studless snow tires? …Probably not. So there is no savings there.
- What about the title and tax. You pay extra for the second car. That can get expensive.
- Insurance costs can be high with a “beater” if it lacks stability control, ABS, side airbags, and other safety equipment. In fact a “beater" probably costs more for liability insurance than the Z covered by both liability and collision insurance.
- “Beaters” by definition will require more maintenance costs. After all, it’s an older car with many parts that are worn and near requiring replacement.
Buying 4 snow tires is a lot less than maintaining a junk car.
--Spike
[*] the mileage and wear you save on your nicer car,
[*] the insurance savings from multiple car discount (in my case, it's always been cheaper to have 2 cars with the "nice car" listed as a recreational car than to insure only 1 car),
[*] the reduced risk of damage on a car that you actually care about, and potentially the mpg savings if you went with an economy car.
[*] the cost of either buying another set of rims, or paying $12 a pop to swap tires every winter if you want to run performance tires during the warm season.
For me, the wear and mileage alone is justification to have a second car.
edit > I left out the increased chances of potholes during the cold season.
And I'm not sure who your insurer is, but if your liability only beater car has higher insurance rates than your Z, I strongly advise you to switch insurers.
Last edited by FineWine; Mar 13, 2010 at 10:54 AM.
New Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,337
Likes: 204
From: Edina, Minnesota
You're not making a fair comparison. You didn't consider
[*] the mileage and wear you save on your nicer car,
[*] the insurance savings from multiple car discount (in my case, it's always been cheaper to have 2 cars with the "nice car" listed as a recreational car than to insure only 1 car),
[*] the reduced risk of damage on a car that you actually care about, and potentially the mpg savings if you went with an economy car.
[*] the cost of either buying another set of rims, or paying $12 a pop to swap tires every winter if you want to run performance tires during the warm season.
For me, the wear and mileage alone is justification to have a second car.
edit > I left out the increased chances of potholes during the cold season.
And I'm not sure who your insurer is, but if your liability only beater car has higher insurance rates than your Z, I strongly advise you to switch insurers.
[*] the mileage and wear you save on your nicer car,
[*] the insurance savings from multiple car discount (in my case, it's always been cheaper to have 2 cars with the "nice car" listed as a recreational car than to insure only 1 car),
[*] the reduced risk of damage on a car that you actually care about, and potentially the mpg savings if you went with an economy car.
[*] the cost of either buying another set of rims, or paying $12 a pop to swap tires every winter if you want to run performance tires during the warm season.
For me, the wear and mileage alone is justification to have a second car.
edit > I left out the increased chances of potholes during the cold season.
And I'm not sure who your insurer is, but if your liability only beater car has higher insurance rates than your Z, I strongly advise you to switch insurers.
I’m probably older than most of the members here and have nothing on my driving record, so I don’t pay a higher rate on a 2-seat sport car.
I did pay a significantly higher liability insurance rate on a beater (mine was a 1990 Mitsubishi Montero, sans air bags, ABS, stability control, etc.) than my Jeep Commander and my 2003 350Z. I do shop very carefully for insurance, and I’m confident I have the best rates.
I suppose you need to evaluate this in a case-by-case manner. In my case, four snow tires co$t a lot less than buying and operating a “beater.”
I think your counter-point is certainly worth consideration.
--Spike
That isn’t the case in my experience, and I shop hard for the best insurance rates.
My 1990 Mitsubishi Montero (sans airbags, EBS, and stability control) costs more to insure than my new Jeep Commander and my 350Z (and I’m not carrying collision on the Montero).
And you still pay $$ to buy the right tires for your "beater." Right?
Why not just mount those tires on your Z and save the cost of buying, insuring, and maintaining a "beater?"
--Spike
My 1990 Mitsubishi Montero (sans airbags, EBS, and stability control) costs more to insure than my new Jeep Commander and my 350Z (and I’m not carrying collision on the Montero).
And you still pay $$ to buy the right tires for your "beater." Right?
Why not just mount those tires on your Z and save the cost of buying, insuring, and maintaining a "beater?"
--Spike
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