Damn it! I can't do it...

[MRGTX]

A lot of the country got our first wallop of snow last week. Along with this came lots and lots of road salt...which is the natural enemy of the northern climate gear head.

My last Mustang always had the benefit of a "winter beater" (A WRX which I also sold last year) and the 2011 GT never saw a grain of road salt. You could eat off of the undercarriage. Is that important? I can't tell you why but I always slept well knowing that it was clean as a whistle under there. When trading up for the 2020, I vowed to just drive this one, treating it as my one and only daily driver... to live for today and "use it up" and enjoy it before the rust monster could ever catch it.

Well that plan fell apart the instant it was tested. So far, I haven't been able to take the Mustang out of the garage even though most of the roads are dry (and chalky white) right now.

Thanks to the pandemic, I can do all of my work remotely and I haven't needed to drive much. When I have, my wife's Rav4 was available for the job. Sooner or later, I'm going to need/want to go somewhere and it's going to break my heart.

I've started the hunt for a cheap/reliable/expendable winter car once more...but I also don't want the three car lifestyle again (and the Mopar isn't going anywhere).

Can someone help with this quandary? How have you addressed this problem?

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[IrishStallion]

Buy a beater...

 

[Avispa]

Second that. Buy a beater.

 

[ORRadtech]

Undercoat/rust proofing and find a touch less car wash that sprays the undercarriage.
And psychotherapy.

It's just a car, one of literally 10s 0f thousands.

If you totaled it tomorrow you could likely replace it with one virtually indistinguishable in a matter of weeks.
Our cars are special to us but not particularly special...

 

[ice445]

I got a fwd beater for the same reason. To be fair though, if you only take the Mustang out in the dry the salt won't really do anything. It's the snowstorms that are the problem.

 

[Oryx]

Same ... I got a beater and mine has never even seen the rain in 3.5 years. When I got it I was living in MN and just put it away for the winter, but now no snow to deal with thank god!

 

[JCFoster]

I’m loving the beater life. I feel especially privileged when I park up front at the store.

 

[IrishStallion]

Not worth the stress driving a mustang in shitty weather... Trust me. The cost of a beater Honda civic will be well worth the cost. Plus keep miles down (retain value) on stang. We done here...? ;).

 

[Mikepol2]

I like having a getting-closer-to-the-beater-category truck as a DD for a lot of reasons aside from keeping the Mustang clean...

It's a lot safer to drive on snowy / wet / icy roads, which I'm sure OP has in CT.

Some days I'm just cranky and not in the mood to shift gears or listen to the loud exhaust on the Mustang.

As other people have mentioned, it's nice to not give a shit about where I park and whether some jerk is going to door ding it. I've been in multiple fender benders where the other vehicle bent but the truck either didn't have a scratch, or I didn't care that it got a scratch. One time a little ricer rear ended me and got a perfectly square hole punched into its front bumper cover from my trailer hitch. My damage: $0.

It's big and comfortable and relaxing to drive, with all the creature comforts the Mustang doesn't have. People who have never owned a larger vehicle would be surprised at how nice it is to have some width between you and the passenger seat.

For about 1 second I considered getting a GT350 as a daily and getting rid of the truck, but opted for the GT plus truck and don't regret it for one second.

 

[kiksbutt]

It's a mustang, not a Ferrari. No one will care when you sell it or trade it that it was in pristine, garaged conditioned as it doesn't add value. I also haven't seen a car in the last decade deteriorate due to salt or brine. You have a depreciating asset so might as well get good usage out of it. Drive it and enjoy it. You can always wash it afterwards.

 

[IrishStallion]

Less miles less wear and tear equals less depreciation... Buy the beater that has already depreciated out. lol.

 

[Jmtoast]

Buy the beater. Chevy trucks with the 5.3, before they put in advanced fuel management in like 2006, will run til the body falls off. Electronics sensors will all fail but who cares. Same thing with any Buick with a 3800. I got a chevy avalanche that already had the AFM turned off. Paid like $6k and I love the 14 mpg 6000lbs beast. If I sold the mustang tomorrow Id be completely content driving it every day.

 

[justanoldhippie]

Meh....somethin better will come along in a few years and you will trade it off anyway. Why not terrorize the streets NOW.

 

[S7N]

Should have kept that WRX around. Also you guys worrying about keeping miles down due to depreciation you lost that when you left the Dealership. Just drive the damn car and stop worrying.

 

[mmff88gt]

I've had Mustang GTs as my year 'round daily drivers for most of the last 35 years. We get a fair amount of road salt usage here in Northwest Ohio. I had my '86 and '89 treated for rust prevention, but have gone "naked" since then. I have never had rust issues with any of my Mustangs -- visibly, or inside panels. I run them through the car wash when the roads are dry and get the "chassis bath."

My concessions to winter are winter tires and wheels and WeatherTech mats I put in in early November. I enjoy my car and don't want to give it up for 4 or 5 months a year.

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