All you need is a good ice scraper and a battery jump pack. I also got this nice set of snow tires too, but they're rated for the summer as well so you never have to switch them out. Kinda pricey, but worth it imho. And if you drive early in the morning, you'll want to keep a cloth diaper in the door pouch so you can wipe the breath droplets off the inside of the windshield until the defroster heats up. And you'll want to drive a good car like a Volvo.

Modern cars are a lot better at resisting rust, and you can probably get 15 with some minimal care.

Cars from the 70s and 80s or earlier? Just junk them after 4 years .

I grew up in Maryland. I don't recall the rust being a problem on any of my parents cars. But they would wash them when the temps got above freezing (40s) and DoT stopped salting the roads after the most recent storm.

A garage should be mandatory. Remote controllerld car starters help so you can get your car running for 10 mins and it'll be nice and warm when you get in and nobody can steal your car (works with ac in the summer too) Cold enough and you need a block heater to plug your car into so your battery doesn't freeze. After a sudden cold snap and big drop in temperature, you'll see a bunch of cars with a headlight that doesn't work. You need a heated garage to change that in. If the snow starts falling, lift up your wipers so ice doesn't form on the blades. Have a snow brush inside with you so thay you don't have to open a car door to retrieve it, dumping a bunch of snow onto your car seat.

I ran my truck (2008 Colorado) thru the car wash weekly to try and keep the rust down (Michigan). Still, fuel pump rusted out (stupid ass installation) both rocker panels have chunks missing. My driveshaft looks like A pipe found in the ocean, frame had to have a plate welded over a hole... Fuck the snow and salt.

It's impossible.

Salt from the roads in winter rot your car from the bottom up. Look under any car driven on salted roads. The frame and every nut and bolt is rusted to fucking fuck. Good luck replacing anything without a drill, easy outs, rust penetrant, and a cutting torch.

Pain in the ass is subjective. In reality no one bothers to try to mitigate the effects of winter on their car. Cars still last 15-20years, but because everything rusts faster and cold starts take their toll the maintenance costs are higher, but unralistic to measure without google levels of data. All cars need maintenance and it varies a lot by make and model and driver and milage, it would be impossible to even guestimate the impact of winter without looking at all cars in at least two regions and comparing the average costs.

One thing you might notice is having to change your rotors because the rust on them will cause them to wear faster and unevenly. They get these deep groves in them that cause your breaks to wear faster too. You may need to replace them every 5 years if you park on the street.

Also, you will replace your battery more often because when it get old it will struggle to start your car when it gets cold out. A

You will replace your wipers more often because the cold makes the rubber brittle and it will get ripped up on ice that is stuck to your window.

You will drag salty into your car on your shoes and over time it builds up on your carpet. Harder to clean than you think.

• salt all over, destroying the undercarriage
• winter tire / summer tire changes
• sometimes chains
• scraping off windshield

I don't have any desire to go back

The only difference is that you go out 10 minutes earlier than in the summer so you have extra time to scrape of the ice of the windows and that you have to change to winter wheels that should be studded instead of the stupid all round wheels. As a scandi i gotta say this thread had me laughing with all the weird things like block heaters and frozen batteris etc if you have a rust problem then get anti-rust treatment or buy a car from a winter country.