4/AWD vehicles for winter climate that arent trucks

recently got in a wreck and totalled my first car after 6 years with it (thank god). Insurance overpaid me and Im in need of a new car. Its winter 7 months out of the year here so i am looking for something with good handling in snow and icy conditions. Preferably not a truck cause i cant afford the gas for that. I have looked at a couple subarus but they all seem to have shit mods performed on them which turns me off. I am aiming to spend $8000 but up to $10k is fine. My only requirement is that it is not terrifying to drive in the snow

Buy a vapemobile

Nothing is terrifying in winter as long as its in good condition and has tires suited for the conditions

Where are you at?

My recently destroyed sunfire begs to differ haha. Live in Edmonton and Jasper, Alberta. Im anal about the winter conditions because of the amount of mountain driving I do

Even with equivalent tires RWD will still be worse than FWD so I get what you're saying. 8th gen civic Si would be fine + it a seriously fun car. Last of the absurdly high revving civics.

Thats an average FWD car, what was so scary about it?

Just find something with AWD if you're that scared. Remember to equip it with the right tires

Honda CR-V, Ford Explorer, Audi with Quattro and so on

fairly light, felt like i never had traction. appreciate the suggestions, ill look for some of those in my area

What tires did you have on it?

...

Peugeot 405 Mi16x4

Did you have snow tires? 4x4 or AWD won't make a vehicle feel any less slippery.

IMPREZA
MS
PLWAYS
RHE
ENSWER
Z
A

...

red impreza
ffs
ewwwwwwwwwww

here's what you can find under 8k with AWD that isn't a truck or CUV.
Subaru Impreza
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Forester
Audi A4
Volkswagen Passat (optional)
Suzuki SX4 (standard on hatch, not available at all on sedan)
...those should be the most common ones you can find.
Personally, I recommend the Subarus or the SX4.

...

I checked out an impreza hatch and a forester and they were both ruined with garbage aftermarket mods. I guess ill just have to wait patiently for a decent one to pop up.

I swear it's impossible to find one of these without a fucked up quarter panel or fender.

I used to have an 04 Rav 4 and it was perfect for winter driving.

WHAT
TIRES
DID
YOU
HAVE
ON
YOUR
OLD
CAR?

I know your struggle OP. 7 months of winter where I live as well (in the states) and I'm looking at mostly Subarus right now because of the AWD. Went off the road twice last year in my Civic, although a large part of that was due to almost bald tires.

For a winter vehicle you want something with AWD (or 4WD if AWD isn't available), low gears for getting out of ruts and packed snow, good ride height/clearance, a properly balanced suspension (and mid vehicle weight), and most importantly winter tires. Michelin X-Ice, Bridgestone Blizzaks, and Hankook i-Pike tires are what most people recommend and use where I live, and we all do a fair amount of mountain and highway driving to get to work.