Winter Cars: 5 rides for that crazy Midwestern weather

IOWA CITY, IA - FEBRUARY 03: A car sits abandoned in the median of I-380 February 3, 2011 between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, Iowa. A massive winter storm smashed into a third of the country, from Texas to Wisconsin, on February 1st and 2nd, making travel treacherous. Major highways are now open but a cold snap behind the storm is keeping temperatures hovering around zero degrees in southwest Iowa. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) /

The Mercedes-Benz Unimog is hard to find here in the states but oh so cool in the cold.

Some people say Miata is always the answer, sometimes it is. An argument can be made for Miata to be the answer to cheap fun in both summer and winter. This doesn’t work super well here because the top doesn’t do a great job of insulating from the frigid winters here, what does work though is the workhorse of the Mercedes-Benz family.

The Unimog. Yes, the Unimog is perfect for this list because even though it lacks quickness or agility and some will say it lacks style, it is fun because of what it is. The nature of the vehicle makes it great for snow, narrow tires and tons of ground clearance make quick work of the worst weather. It is fun because, well, look at it. This would be difficult to not have a great time with no matter what the forecast calls for.

The cabin is fairly spartan so this doesn’t necessarily meet the requirement for safety if you end up stuck in a ditch. However, a Unimog should be pretty ditch proof and able to just drive out if you do end up off the road. So there is a loophole that I am exploiting to include this on the list.

Next: America's Military loves the Ford F-150

In this slide show, we have covered everything from practical choices for winter safety and summer fun to the extremely impractical and hard to find. Be sure to leave a comment on why I am wrong or what I missed, ignored, or what cars are better for fun in all weather.

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