So I'm moving to Chicago...

[jonathan-m]

I just got accepted into a Doctorate of Pharmacy program in Chicago, so it looks like I'll be leaving sunny FL for the windy city in around 3 months or so. Its really cool because when I went up there for my interview I was really digging the vibe of the city, so I think I'm going to have a great time.
What I have been thinking about a lot though, is what to do about my truck.
I really didn't want to take my truck up there at first because I am worried that the harsh midwestern climate is going to cause my old girl to deteriorate really quickly. I thought at first I was going to move into the city, so I wasn't going to need a car anyways, but now it looks like I'll probably be moving into a suburb and commuting to school, which means a car is probably going to be a must (depending on which suburb, I guess).

So I have two options, I can drive my truck up to WV and park it at my aunt and uncles house for four years. This would mean I'd have to buy a little beater car when I got up there (and, I would be without my truck for four years!). I don't really care for this option much, even though its probably more practical. I'd have to try to find a decent car as soon as I got there (I'm gonna be poor ), and honestly I've never owned or worked on any other kind of vehicle besides this truck. It was my first vehicle, and I've done a lot and learned a lot with it, but its a simple machine..

Or, I could take her up there with me and deal with whatever the weather does to her.
Being a life long florida truck, it has relatively little rust. A little bit on the floor boards, but other than that she's pretty solid. Half of the truck is rattlecanned black, the other half has a very old semi-professional looking white paint job. This hasn't caused a problem down here with our mild weather, but I would imagine that a paint job would be in order to keep the back half from going to hell up there...
Oh and It doesn't have a heater anymore( didn't need it, and it was taking up space...), so I guess I'd definitely have to get another one of those. the cons to this are the obvious weather rust problems, the added risk of driving her in a big city, and the risk of a wintertime accident. I'm a florida boy through and through, so I'm not much of a seasoned ice road trucker...

What would you guys do? Do you think 4 years in the midwest is enough to put a real hurting on a florida truck?