I guess I am a bit late to this thread :-)

On 19-12-2013 03:10, Don Q wrote:
> Just wondering about suitability...
>
> Anyone in a colder climate use yours as an only car?

Bought my 1999 NB a little over 7 years ago and it's been my daily drive
here ever since, which means 4-5 months per year on winter tires. Now
much of the Winter here in Denmark may be more about wet roads with
temperatures just around the freezing point, but in many ways it's a
tougher climate on cars than constant freezing.


> Weather protection and heater adequate?

Yes. Some winters I have been using a hard top, but the vinyl soft top
works well and if one is a little gentle it can be put up and down even
when it is freezing. In the winter months we don't have much daylight
and even less sun, we had just 14 hours in January, so being able to
make to most of it is great. The heaters in the car are powerful enough
that top down driving in the Winter can be done without going to
extremes clothing wise.


> Any mechanical gotchas?

Nothing special. Just as with other cars cold starts calls for a battery
in good condition and it's a good idea to lube the locks and rubber door
seals.


> Rust?

Unfortunately yes. I'd say having the car given a good rust protection
is mandatory and even so there will likely be problems over time. Weak
points is is the area in front of the rear wheels, the frame around the
wind screen and the rear edge of the trunk lid.


Overall I find the car to be working well winter time and driving in
snow and ice can be a lot of fun. It's so well balanced that while FWD
is perhaps less demanding using it has not been an issue for me and I
have not felt the need to lug around extra weight to add rear grip. But
winter tires is a must and it is not just about snow, it is also about
grip when in near freezing conditions as the rubber on most sportier
tires doesn't work well in the cold.

Greeting from Denmark
Bruno