Maybe you are moving to Evergreen from another state and you don’t know what to expect from driving conditions during Winter. After all you are moving to the Rocky Mountains and you may be wondering if you are going to experience blizzards on a regular basis.
I moved here from Dallas, Texas and had never experienced a Winter with a lot of snow, so I had no idea what to expect. Right before I moved here, I bought a $42,000 Jeep Wrangler with big tires so that no matter what my family would not be stranded in a blizzard. After a year of living in Evergreen I got a much better idea of what kind of car I could get by with. Needless to say my big Jeep was nice, but it was way overkill and too nice for this weather, so I sold it and purchased an all wheel drive Honda Pilot. My Pilot drives great in the snow, gets good gas mileage and has plenty of storage. I also installed a roof cargo box (very common here) for additional storage which comes in handy
From my experience, the most difficult time you will have driving in the snow will be getting out of your driveway. I have one all wheel drive (AWD) Honda Pilot and one two real wheel drive Ford Explorer. My driveway is very short and has no slope (up or down) to it and my Explorer gets stuck on the ice all the time. My Honda Pilot never has a problem getting out of my driveway or around town. Overall, most roads here are very well maintained and only a few times a year (in Spring) we get a lot of snow (10 to 18+ inches). If you can’t afford an all wheel drive / 4×4 vehicle you could probably get by with a front wheel car/truck and purchase Winter tires if necessary. I have had friends that had Toyota Prius and were easily able to get around in light snow. If you have a real wheel drive vehicle it may be a good idea to sell it.
Here is a list of popular cars I see Evergreen, Colorado residents driving.
Subaru (all models)
Honda Pilot
Chevy SUV’s
Lexus GX
Jeep Cherokee
Volvo XC
Ford Explorer
Winters are hard on a car with all the snow, rain and sand/salt that is on the roads. You will be lucky if you wash your car at all half of the year. Having said this don’t feel like you have to buy a brand new car. The exterior and interior will get very dirty. Evergreen is not a pretentious place and nobody cares where you live or what you drive.
I have two other important factors to consider when purchasing a vehicle to live in the Rocky Mountains. The first is to purchase a vehicle that gets good gas mileage. You will drive much further than you would living in the city. The second important factor is storage. Living in Colorado there are a lot of outdoor activities from hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and camping, etc that you will need to transport. I also recommend purchasing a roof cargo rack especially if you have a family.
Contact an Evergreen Colorado Real Estate Agent
Shad Philips – Certified Mountain Area Specialist 303-218-6926
To learn more about any Evergreen Colorado homes for sale or to receive email notifications when homes are listed for sale in Evergreen Colorado, call 303-218-6926 or contact an Evergreen Colorado REALTOR®.
