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You can probably find stock take-off rims for only a hair more than a set of ugly 16" steel rims. I got mine from a couple different folks on here, with less than $350 out of my pocket for four like-new rims. Skipped the TPMS and called it good, running stock-sized winter tires.
What you'll find in all the threads, because I read them, is that you ultimately have two choices: a 100% winter tire or a winter performance tire. If you have to get to work/school/etc no matter what, suck it up and go with the 100% winter tire. Blizzaks, Altimax Arctic, X-Ice, things like that; you can pick whether you want one biased toward ice or toward snow/slush use based on your driving conditions and climate. Either way, they're all soft, squirmy, no fun to drive on dry pavement, but they will get you to work and back home in snow, sleet, ice, slush, whatever, at least until the laws of physics kick in due to deep snow or steep hills or whatever.
If you have the option of having other choices available - access to public transportation, a second car, a spouse, whatever - then you can give serious thought to a performance winter tire and just accept that you will reach your no-go point a bit sooner than with a 100% winter tire, in exchange for a more enjoyable driving experience when the weather isn't absolutely dreadful.
When I got my car, I went with the first option, even though I had an Impreza (on winters) available to use, because my job required me to be at certain places at certain times, regardless of weather. The Altimax Arctics did great in snow and ice, even on moderate hills in 4-6" of snow. Since that time, I changed jobs and now work at a fixed location less than 4 miles from my home, on the bus line, and I still have an AWD car available. If I had known this job change would happen, I would have purchased a performance winter tire instead. Depending on my mood later in the year, I might sell the winters in favor of performance winters for the coming snow season.
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