I Commute 1 Hour to Work from the Snowiest Part of NY

I commute 1 hour from White Lake NY (Right outside of Old Forge NY) down to the Utica NY area. How I ended up here is a different story but, I commute 46 miles one way. In the Winter it is TERRIFYING. I take a badly plowed, icy, God-forsaken stretch of highway called NY-12 all the way to and from the Utica area.

I've been up here for 2 years. It is considered the Snow-Belt of NY. My house is also directly next to a lake.

Since I have moved here I have been driving 92 miles a day. I have gone through 4 cars. ($1000 bombers off Facebook marketplace) Each one was killed quicker than I could purchase them. I finally as of the last 8 months buckled down, started rebuilding my credit, and got my hands on a 2025 Subaru Impreza and a 2015 Nissan Rogue. I tried this drive in one of those shitbox FWD cars the first half of last winter and it was SCARY. BIG DIFFERENCE driving a junk car near civilization on a daily basis and through BLIZZARDS in the middle of NOWHERE 92 miles on a daily basis.

I used to be a mechanic and even I underestimated how much could go wrong with the vehicles during this commute. It is not like driving 30 miles a day in the city. Believe me, if you're planning on doing a long commute through a snowy region you NEED TWO NEW-ISH OR BRAND NEW CARS WITH AWD. One as a backup that when the other goes down. As well as good All Season or Snow Tires.

Even with all of that reliability the drive is still a nightmare in the ice and snow but, I have driven worse cars through it so it's at least not AS jarring now that I'm kind of used to it.

My plan for this upcoming winter is to alternate the vehicles seasonally to keep the mileage down. The brand new car in the Summer and the older car in the Winter.

I wanted to know if anyone has or has had a similar situation. If you are currently stuck in a bad situation with your vehicle, trust me I know how you feel. I have had more close calls than I can count dealing with this shit drive.

I just wanted to share my experience and warn those planning on doing a drive like this daily. It is not for the faint of heart. If you plan on doing what I do Daily, my only advice is BE PREPARED FINANCIALLY.

I'd appreciate input or similar experiences in the comments!

Thanks!