thinking of a 3

[erock]

Hello all,

New to the forum ... thinking of purchasing a 3 (5-door, s). I like the hp gain over the Civic (one of which I own and am passing down to my son), and everyone here on the forum raves about how fun the car is to drive.

Two basic questions: How is it in the snow? Front wheel drive must help. I do a lot of skiing (Killington, Okemo) and have been able to slide around in the Civic.
Question #2: Is there an after market roof rack I can purchase to hump my skis and snowboard to the hills?

Thank you in advance.

Erock

 

[TomH]

The 3 absolutely sucks in the snow, much of which can be attributed to the crummy stock Goodyear RS-As. Honestly though, as much as I love our 3, it sounds like you would be better off with a Subaru Impreza. The AWD would really come in handy in the snow and there is no shortage of roof accessories for it. Come to think of it, an AWD Suzuki Aerio wouldn't be a bad choice for you either. Good luck.

 

[mazdaspeedpower]

umm, it's pretty good in the snow with even the cheapest of snow tires. My mom has a 2005 Mazda 3 GT Sedan, and with super cheap snow tires and steelies, it's pretty good in the snow. It's not perfect, but it goes pretty well, and can be super fun to slide around in parking lots or other traffic free places in the snow. Not to sure about roof accessories, but I'm sure they are out there..but with the 5 door, they would prolly fit inside with the backseat down. It's a pretty good car all in all, just as TomH said, the stock all-seasons suck in the snow, but really, I don't see how they are called all seasons, they are pretty freaking close to summer tires, not snow friendly at all, but like I said, even super cheap snow tires make it a pretty good little beast in the snow.

 

[tsunami]

there are some roof acc. for our cars i have looked into them before i believe thule has some stuff you can ask at the dealership and they will deffinatly point you in the right direction some dealerships can even order after market stuff like that for you and have it put on before you take it home. as far as the snow goes its a dog!! i live in MAINE and lately it has been snowing here all the time and my car is horrid! wish i had known and saved up some loot for some steelies and snows. but i know for next year... from what i have read on here and other forums everyone says its the tires fault and i believe them... thats my .02

 

[mobomelter]

whatever you do, DO NOT buy a suzuki anything. suzuki can make great 4-wheelers and the like but their cars are absolute crap.