I know its Montana, but enough already!

Yes this is Montana, a northwestern state. I am used to it, have lived here in Missoula for 25 years, so its not really new. Honestly though, enough with the friggin snow!!!! Anyone else sick of winter?? I never used to dislike winter before I started working on cars, and especially working on cars for a living. I like snowboarding and snowmobiling, but I havent been in years simply due to my dislike of winter lately. I hate scraping my windows and having to waste gas just so it can sit there for longer and warm up. And damn it I have a new ride that I want to start tinkering with and the weather just isnt having it.

i agree wit ya all the way there

It doesn't bother me anymore. A few years back i hated it but not so much anymore. it gives me a down time to work on my truck.

that is true too but like me its hard to work on a car or truck with no car port or garage iether ..

It sucks. If I didn't have a good job and family here I would move. MT has some benefits but I hate cold and driving in the winter.

And the crap that they put on the roads during winter tears cars up, so you spend all spring and summer cleaning up the havoc left behind only to have to your nice hard work spit on all over again. Obviously this only applies if your ride is your only and you have to drive it year round. I like winter and snow....but not when Im forced to deal with it. Same boat as you Rip, family and work tend to keep me here, although ideally Id like to live somewhere that it is warm year round and only a short drive to get into snow when I want to.

I couldnt disagree with you more. I am all about the snow baby!! I was bummed out that we didnt get more.

I don't mind snow as long as you can still get around on the roads. Billings is notorious for shitty snow removal and taking care of their roads. I know this is a gripe every year since we have ACTUALLY been getting some winter weather that stays around for long periods of time but I am sick of hearing the city bitch about their lame buget they create for snow plowing and removal each year. There are soooooooo many accidents that happen around this city that are, for the most part, because of the ice and snow pack that don't get dealt with by the city. Basically I am saying I don't mind the snow as long as every time I leave my garage I don't have to petrified by the fact that I could be getting into an accident on the stellar city roads.

It never bothered me personally until I got into the line of work I am, where driving is a HUGE part of my job. Now, I hate the snow/ice and even rain with a passion. Actually, I have always hated the rain, but that comes from growing up in Washington.

Go away snow, I may have to go to work, and dealing with you for 350 miles is a PITA!

I will say this like I have said before. It is MT and it DOES snow here so stop bitching about it and prepare for it. Buy a car that is great to drive in the winter, buy snow tires, and dress warm. If you don't like the cold or the snow then move to a warmer state and stop bitching about the weather. People that cry about snow when they live in MT drives me nuts. /Rant

+1 for more snow. AWD with snow tires is the bees knees in the winter.

I love the snow, every morning I wake up and get sad when there isn't more. I think they've done a fine job removing the snow off of the main roads with what they have to deal with: A bunch of bitching Montanans who don't want to pay the taxes to do more.

It's funny too as they started plowing the side streets then everybody complained about the mound of snow they left behind, plow or no plow, people always complain.

I'm trying to figure out what the big stink is?

Um... we are just having a normal winter dude. It's not even bad. This is a normal winter for Montana in case you didn't know. Don't make me tell stories of delivering newspapers in a foot of snow -38degF without windchill..... no joke. that was a cold winter.

But I mean.... really? I've lived here a long time. But I have yet to see with my own eyes like more than two feet of snow! That's lame! What ever happened to digging tunnels through the snow?

I do remember going back to Havre after Christmas break for school and finding a big pile of snow where my truck was supposed to be..... the snow was maybe two feet..... but it drifted over my truck. it took about an hour to get it out. lol

I don't think I've met a single person yet who doesn't at least bitch occasionally about the cold. That goes for the natives as well. Nobody likes it. The cold..just..sucks.

I don't honestly mind the snow and the mess it makes that much. Just the cold temps that go along with it. My next winter car will be an AWD/4WD car for sure. Even so, it's not going to make me like driving in it any more than I do now. The whole part about stopping the car is what makes winter a white knuckle driving experience. And AWD isn't gonna help you there. Snow tires, OTOH, are a different story. Even then, it's still dangerous.

Everything you learn to do with your car in the snow and ice applies to driving on dry asphalt. You just get to learn how to do it at a much lower speed. I look at the snow as a opportunity to help hone my driving skills.
Try driving a 2WD 1992 GMC Sonoma with manual transmission, open rear diff, and no ABS for 5 years in Montana winters. I never once got stuck where i had to get out and shovel. Had a few scary instances. But I think the real problem boils down to people in the U.S. learn how to operate a vehicle for transportation. But they never actually learn how to drive.

I like driving in the snow. It makes driving at the speed limit kinda feel about right instead of bloody boring.

It wouldn't be so bad if the city and state read a book on how to maintain roads. I love driving in powder, but this packed, icy shit is lamesauce.

I'm really hoping that at some point, we get nailed with a few feet of snow this year. Just imagine: most of the city would shut down. We could haul ass around on snowmobiles.

I am sure if I wasnt a mechanic at Les Schwab I wouldnt mind winter as much, actually might enjoy it. Its the fact that during winter for 8-12 hours a day, I get to be cold no matter how layered I am, and wet. Its not enjoyable having to work on a car thats packed with snow and all the crappy road slush, and having it drip on you. Huge puddles forming, tools starting to not work right because of the water and deicer. And Brandon, not sure if the comment on physical driving was meant for me or not, but thats really not an area I need to worry about or was commenting on. I drive a huge 4x4 truck and I work at Les Schwab Tire so naturally I have great winter wheels/tires.

Dr. Auto, yes this is a normal Montana winter, Im more or less just anxious to start working on my new project yet dont have anywhere to do it. And I too have lived here for a long time, and can actually remember and recall one year when we recieved 4 feet of snow.

People should keep in mind that a great many emergency vehicles are RWD. People have been doing fine with it for literally decades. Is it optimal? No. Certainly far from my first choice. That said just like with racing the driver's skill goes a long way towards success. Your car can only do so much for you.

The other factor people should consider about the winter is that regardless of how wonderful a driver you think you are. There are a LOT of people driving around here who are not that great. Montana has some of the highest insurance rates in the entire country. We are #4. There are multiple reasons for this of course. However some of the blame can be pinned on our high accident rates and the fact that we have a lot of terrible, lazy, inconsiderate, and just plain inattentive drivers on our streets. And then of course you also have the fact that no matter how careful you are there is always the possibility of the unexpected. Black ice for example is gonna be a tough one to avoid when you can't even see it.

I've been pretty lucky. Had enough close calls (some of which were my fault) that at this point I just don't like slick roads. To me it's not fun. Not at all.

What bother's me is the cold. The snow im fine with. but if it's cold with no snow. that sucks.

Todd,
I hear you for keeping warm when woring on cars. It sucks. I'm a Tech too. One thing about winter that pisses me off.

Owen.. I totally agree with all you said. I just don't agree with the term you use....

"the fact that we have a lot of terrible, lazy, inconsiderate, and just plain inattentive drivers on our streets".

corrected

The fact that we have a lot of terrible, lazy, inconsiderate, and just plain inattentive vehicle operators on our streets.

Just saying.... people don't know how to drive.