I've seen a bunch of the normal springtime posts of people jumping out of their skins, waiting to get their cars back on the road.

First off, to Tomcatt, the bravest s2ki'er I know, I hope you're back in the cockpit real soon. Your determination is a shining light for me.

Next, I just wanted to share my winter experience...

Folks, I never put Nebuchadnezzar away this winter, and I think I did the right thing. It's been a hard few months for me in my life, as many of you know, but having the S there to take a spin in anytime has been great. No more pining away through the winter for me.

I didn't take Neb out on really crappy days, and I tried to avoid days with tons of salt on the road. I also avoided sanders on the highway. Finally, I never had to use a scraper or brush because I never got caught out with more than a 1/4" or so of the fluffy stuff. There are a few small nicks from kicked up stones, but Neb's mostly no worse for the wear.

I'm not going to advocate this for everyone, but after four years of ownership my worry-o-meter has dropped a bit and given me an opportunity to get a little perspective in S ownership and to boost my satisfaction to a year-round scenario now. Overall, I'm really glad I kept driving through the winter.

If you choose to join the winter warriors (I think we need a badge or something), the only serious gear you MUST own are a set of winter tires, gloves, and some form of ear warmers (I use a "head sock" style headband). Also, if you're a bit psychotic like me, dropping the top in freezing temps will cause some wear on your soft top. I really, really dig top down on cold, sunny days though, so unless you really want a hardtop for daily driving, just stick with the softtop.

 

Sorry, Chaz, I don't think I'll be joining you Winter Warriors anytime soon. For me, this car is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, and I've got a lot of years that I want to spend with her, so keeping her in good shape is important. How else will I be able to give her to Anika when I can no longer drive her?

This is in keeping with my choice to get the all-red interior. It makes the car really special, and limiting my driving to the times when I can really enjoy her is part of that. I miss her during the winter months, but not so much that I feel I'm depriving myself of anything. Just the knowledge that she's sitting clean and dry under her blanket, waiting, while I'm by the fire keeping the tootsies warm is enough sometimes.

My hat's off to those who keep the grin on their faces all year long, though!

JonasM

 

Ours too!

Glad you enjoyed your winter with the car, Chaz.

We're in the same boat as Jonas. This may be the only S we ever buy, so we'll enjoy it in the spring, summer and fall. We've got 20K on it, that shows we've enjoyed it plenty over two seasons.

 

Not me, I put my Winter Sport M3s on back in November, and I've had a blast over the winter months. If the temp was 45 or up (and not raining) I had the top down and the heat cranked to the max.

 

Jonas, Lainey,

I hear you. I do. I felt the same way for a long time. But this year, life such as it was for me, I simply refused to put the car away.

Truth be told, the car may be subjected to a little more abuse than you might like, but if you get a few mild days along the way to wash the muck off, it seems to soldier through pretty well. This ain't no 70's Z-car that'll rust out if you eat a salt bagel within 100 feet of it, y'know. I intend to keep my car a good, long time too...

IMO, you're really missing something not driving through snow with the top down. It's a blast. OK, true, people think you're insane... I'm not denying that.

 

I'm with you, Chaz. Whereas I may never buy another sports car that rivals the S for fun/driving experience, etc., I'm keeping it ready to drive any time of the year on a nice day. I've seen a lot of my neighbors shake their heads in disbelief when they see me cruising down the street with temps below freezing, but I'm toasty warm with the heater on, my gloves, hat, coat, etc. and it FEELS SOOOOO GOOD. I never take it out in snow, ice or when the streets are slushy, but as soon as the street looks good and the sun is out, I'm out. I drop the top in the garage where its a little warmer and I always bring the top up as soon as I get it back in its bay. I just sorta feel that I have no clue how many days I have left to enjoy this car or even this earth, so I'm gonna jump in and have as much joy as I can while I can. Oh, I bought a neat little pair of ear muffs that go behind the head and under my hair so my ears stay nice and warm too.

 

Amen to that, Val! You're a kindred spirit!

 

We don't store our car, and we keep it fully insured all year, so we could take off during the cold months if we want to. We just have not yet been tempted to be out there in temps much under 50.

Guess we are old compared to Chaz, Val, Rob and some others.

 

My personal record is 28* with the top down. It works best if you wait for the engine to warm up. I have driven the S through snow storms in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada. I was on a cross country vacation, so I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter.

 

I go topless in the winter occasionally. When it gets down to 50*, that's my record, I put on an extra shirt.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.


I grew up in Michigan so I know how cold it can get. I had a little Honda 50 in high school that I drove once in the snow. You all have a lot more nerve than I ever would. I am not happy in the cold.



dvh