My Winter Car throws you into brutal 1990s Finland with no tutorial, permadeath enabled, and a project car that needs assembling from scratch. This sequel to My Summer Car ups the difficulty with frozen engines, hypothermia, and unforgiving snow-covered roads. Here’s everything you need to survive your first hours without losing your save file.
Table of Contents
My Winter Car Overview
| Essential | Details |
|---|---|
| Setting | Rural Finland, January 1999 (-24°C) |
| Save System | Sleep ONLY (no autosave) |
| Permadeath | Default ON – turn OFF in license menu |
| Starting Car | Sorbett 1600 LTD (daily driver) |
| Project Car | Corris Rivett (500 MK from Reijo) |
| Phone Controls | NUMPAD only (not number row) |
| Official Page | Steam Store |
Critical First Steps: Don’t Skip These!
1. Turn OFF Permadeath Immediately
When filling out your license at game start, scroll to the bottom and disable permadeath. It’s ON by default, meaning one death wipes your entire save. This single setting change prevents catastrophic frustration.
2. Equip Winter Jacket Before Going Outside
Your winter jacket is on the floor near your apartment door. Press F to equip it immediately. Without it, hypothermia kills you in minutes at -24°C. This is not optional—cold exposure is your biggest early-game threat.
3. Turn On Apartment Radiators
Set radiators in each room to 20-30°C using the left-side switches. You cannot save the game (by sleeping) if your apartment is too cold. Heat management is survival management.
For comprehensive strategies on managing survival mechanics in simulation games, check our guide to balancing health, temperature, and resource systems.
Starting Your Sorbett: Winter Driving 101
Your daily driver, the Sorbett 1600 LTD, is parked outside connected to a block heater. Follow these exact steps:
Step 1: Unplug the block heater at the front of the car
Step 2: Scrape ice from windshield and windows (move mouse left-right while scraping)
Step 3: Get inside, turn ignition, and use choke while starting
Step 4: Let engine idle briefly, then turn heater to maximum (red zone)
Step 5: Turn on defrost mode and blower (use scroll wheel on controls)
Step 6: Release handbrake, shift to 1st gear (manual transmission), and drive carefully
CRITICAL: Always plug the car back in when parked. If left unplugged, oil freezes and the engine won’t start. Keep the car running if you can’t plug it in.
Manual Transmission Controls
- X – Clutch (not needed if auto-clutch enabled in F1 settings)
- Arrow Keys – Shift gears (up/down)
- W – Accelerate
- S – Brake
- A/D – Steer left/right
- Space – Handbrake
- L – Headlights (essential for night driving)
- J – Push mode (when stuck)
Buying Your Project Car: Corris Rivett
To purchase the iconic Corris Rivett (your main project car):
Step 1: Use your phone to call 08-609553 (Reijo’s number)
Step 2: Listen to the ENTIRE dialogue—don’t hang up early or the sale bugs out
Step 3: Drive to map marker #9 during daytime only with 500 MK cash
Step 4: Pay the seller and the car is yours
Step 5: Tow it home using the Kekmet tractor (found at parents’ woodshed)
Important: The Rivett has no engine and cannot be driven. You’ll need to tow it to your parents’ house (which has a motor hoist) or your apartment for assembly.
Explore advanced car assembly and engine-building techniques once you’ve secured your project car and gathered initial parts.
Money Making: Early Jobs to Fund Your Build
Best Starting Job: Delivery Work
Call 08-231206 for delivery jobs that pay 400-800 MK per run. This provides steady early income without soft-lock risks.
Avoid Factory Job Early On
The Futufon factory job near Loppe exit has a notorious bug. If you don’t spam K key during the boss conversation while he’s on the phone, the job can permanently soft lock. Save this job for later when you understand the mechanics.
Alternative Income: Flea Market
Sell unnecessary items at the flea market for weekly income. It’s slow but reliable and requires no special interactions that can bug out.
Phone System: NUMPAD Required
My Winter Car’s phone system confuses many players:
✅ Use NUMPAD only (right side of keyboard)
❌ Number row (1234567890) does NOT work
⚠️ No numpad? You’ll need to remap controls in settings (F1)
When ordering parts from the catalog (15 MK at gas station):
- Call the number
- Listen to COMPLETE dialogue until beeping tone
- Wait 3 days for mail notification
- Pick up at post office
Hanging up early cancels orders—patience is mandatory.
Essential Controls & Hotkeys
F1 – Settings menu (adjust controls, enable auto-clutch)
F – Equip items, eat food, drink, interact
Q – Reach (extends interaction range—essential for finicky objects)
U – Check watch (stores have fixed hours)
P – Urinate (prevents bladder stat issues)
C – Open car doors
Enter – Start engine when inside vehicle
Space – Activate driving mode
Survival Stats to Monitor
Your character has six critical stats displayed on the HUD:
Hunger – Eat food from stores (PSK gas station, grocery stores)
Thirst – Drink water, beer, or soft drinks
Fatigue – Sleep in bed to save game AND restore energy
Bladder – Press P to urinate regularly
Temperature – Wear jacket outdoors, use car heater, keep apartment warm
Problem – Drink beer at Pub Nappo to maintain this “stress” stat
Ignoring any stat for too long leads to death—and without autosave, death means restarting from your last sleep.
For deeper insights into managing complex survival systems in hardcore sims, explore our multi-game comparison guide.
Common Beginner Mistakes
❌ Forgetting to plug in the block heater – Oil freezes, car won’t start
❌ Going outside without winter jacket – Hypothermia kills fast
❌ Using number row for phone calls – Only NUMPAD works
❌ Hanging up phone early – Cancels purchases and job offers
❌ Trying factory job first – High soft-lock risk for beginners
❌ Not scraping windows – Can’t see, will crash
❌ Leaving apartment cold – Can’t save by sleeping
Pro Tips for Efficiency
✅ Always carry spare fuel – Gas stations aren’t everywhere
✅ Prepay before pumping gas – Pumps won’t unlock otherwise
✅ Use TV teletext for weather – Plan outdoor work accordingly
✅ Rev engine after cold starts – Helps warm up faster
✅ Save frequently by sleeping – Death = lose all progress since last save
✅ Drive cautiously on ice – Roads are extremely slippery
✅ Visit stores during daytime – Most close at night
The Bottom Line
My Winter Car rewards patience, planning, and precision. Unlike most games, it deliberately withholds guidance to create authentic learning experiences—which means early deaths are part of the journey. Turn off permadeath, master the Sorbett, buy the Corris Rivett, and establish steady income before diving into complex assembly projects.
The game’s brutal difficulty becomes satisfying mastery once you understand its systems. Every successfully started engine, every safe trip to the store in a blizzard, every night you don’t freeze to death—these are genuine achievements in My Winter Car’s unforgiving world.
For ongoing updates about My Winter Car’s Early Access development, including bug fixes, new features, and community discoveries, bookmark our dedicated coverage hub.
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FAQs
Q: How do I save my game in My Winter Car?
You can ONLY save by sleeping in your bed—there is no autosave or manual save option. Make sure your apartment is warm (radiators on) or you won’t be able to sleep and save.
Q: Why won’t my Sorbett car start in the morning?
If you didn’t plug in the block heater overnight, the engine oil froze. Always plug in your car when parked, or keep it running if you can’t access the heater plug.
