I Need An Affordable All-Weather Commuter Car! What Should I Buy?

Ignacio has relocated from South America to New York state and is looking for an affordable car ideally with all-wheel drive to manage his commute to the train and eventually pass it down to a teenage driver. With a budget of up to $20,000, what car should he buy?

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Here is the scenario.

My family of 5 and I just moved from Chile, South America, so I could take a job in New York City. We live in the suburbs in West Chester County. We are loving the USA and already have a a 3-row SUV as a family car, but my wife is tired of driving me to the train and I have a 15-year-old daughter who will be driving soon. So we need a car for me to drive to the train and locally in our town, and that maybe I will share or later gift to my daughter so she can drive it around our town where there is no public transportation.

Because I am not experienced driving in the snow, and my daughter will be a new driver, I would like it to be AWD. It also needs to sit 5, just in case our main car is not available or I need to take the kids and their friends somewhere. I don’t really want another SUV, but would be open to a wagon, hatchback, or sedan. I’m looking to spend about 20k or less

Quick Facts:

Budget: up to $20,000

Location: Westchester, NY

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: AWD, safe, seating for five

Doesn’t want: Something too big

Expert 1- Tom McParland – It Will Do The Job

Image: Autotrader.com

Before everyone in the comments chimes in, I’ll get it out of the way, you probably don’t need an all-wheel-drive car. Your commute is short enough and a careful driver with a front-wheel-drive car will do just fine in most winter conditions. That all being said, there isn’t a shortage of all-wheel-drive options at your price point, so there is no harm in getting what you want.

Of course, the easy answer is some kind of Subaru, but you would be looking at smaller cars with a savings delta that is minimal compared to a new car cost. If you wanted something that is a better “value” check out the Nissan Altima. While it may not be the most “satisfying” car, it will handle the commute in comfort and offer better seating for five compared to the more compact offerings. And at the sub-$20,000 price point you can score a very lightly used Nissan with plenty of warranty remaining.

Inventory is plentiful, but the only real downside is having to wrangle with NYC area Nissan stores which are notoriously difficult. I would point you in the direction of this 2019 SR with a Premium package at a local Lexus dealer, as the luxury stores tend to play fewer games. This is a well-equipped model that had an original retail price close to $30,000.

Expert 2: Collin Woodard – If You Insist

Photo: DZ Auto Mall

Once again, Ignacio, Tom is right. You don’t actually need all-wheel drive. I understand why it would feel like you do, but I promise you the extra money you’d spend to get all-wheel drive would be better spent on a set of winter tires. Heck, you can even buy a set of cheap steelies to mount them on so you can mount and remove them yourself whenever the seasons change.

Think about it. If power gets sent to all four wheels, but none of the tires have any grip, how is that going to help you? You’re better off sending power to two wheels wearing proper tires that actually give them grip in the snow. Not to mention the far superior braking and cornering that winter tires provide.

Because of that, my actual answer is the nicest front-wheel-drive Mazda3 hatchback that you can afford. It’s going to be enjoyable to drive, reliable, practical, stylish and relatively fuel-efficient. Basically, it will check every box on your list. If you still want all-wheel drive, then the good news is, you can still get a Mazda3 hatchback. Here’s one in Paterson, New Jersey for just under $15,000.

It’s got more miles than you’d expect from a car that’s a little more than five years old, but you can just put the money you don’t spend into a savings account to fund any future repairs. Plus, it’s a Japanese hatchback. What’s the worst that could happen? You barely even have to change the oil, and they’ll run forever, right?

Expert 3: Bradley Brownell – It’s Wagon Time

Screenshot: Carvana

I’m never going to shy away from a wagon whenever possible, and while I would absolutely recommend you get a Buick Regal TourX like mine, it’s definitely on the bigger side. A size smaller is Volkswagen’s Golf Alltrack, doing much the same thing, but this one is available with a stick! You could have an opportunity to have a manual-transmission wagon daily driver, the Jalopnik dream.

The Alltrack is a great little car, and runs on the same 1.8T engine in millions of Volkswagens, plus it has the 4Motion all-wheel drive that you crave. Definitely still get the winter tires, though.

This one is available at Carvana for $18,990, but you can definitely find other examples in your budget with fewer miles.

Expert 4: Steve DaSilva – Live A Little

Ignacio, Tom made a good point when he said that you don’t need AWD for New York winters. I survived plenty in a little rear-drive coupe just fine, thanks to a nice set of snow tires — which you should absolutely, absolutely get for whatever car you buy. But I can see another reason for wanting AWD, one beyond practicality: Snow drifting.

You said you’re inexperienced with snow driving, which makes your concerns about traction and power delivery entirely reasonable. But there’s a fast way to learn how a car handles snow, how to tell when it’s approaching the limit of grip, and how to recover a slide all at once: Go out to your biggest local empty parking lot and just do some AWD donuts.

Here, unlike daily driving, AWD is actually a definite and usable boon — power delivery to the rear wheels gives you finer control over your slip angle, allowing you more control over a slide. Of course, that only works if you practice it, so go out to your local movie theater and just spin your car around in the parking lot. This is totally not just a fun thing to do in the snow. It’s practical car control training, I swear.

If you’re looking to snow drift, Subaru should be your first stop. This WRX in Jersey for $19,900, with its four driven wheels and five seats, should be a perfect fit for your needs — plus a turbocharged engine and manual transmission for your sick sick drifts. I mean, uh, completely practical driver training. Who knew learning could be fun?