Reply #4: I never had trouble with little cars

[midnight armadillo]

My past cars have included an '85 Nissan Sentra wagon, a '90 Camry (~2900 lbs), and a '93 Corolla. I never had any trouble with snow in any of them, especially with good tires. All were FWD. The Camry with its stick shift was especially good since there was lots of road feedback in the steering & handling (not at all like a recent Camry). No traction control on any of these for Mass. driving.

Just get good tires, and traction control if you can. ABS is more important :-)

The Nokian WR all-season tire is the finest on the market if you want a year-round tire that will kick serious ass in the snow. I have 'em on my Subaru and they're great.