New buyer questions...winter...

[DaveG]

Hi,
I'm new to these forums as I'm new to the yaris, so "Hi" to everybody. After browsing, I think this is the right place to get all of my pressing questions answered.
Anyway, I'm a university student in pennsylvania studying physics, and in need of some reliable transportation. I've got a 96 subaru legacy that is nickel and dime-ing me to death, and I've been looking at the yaris. I'm all for super fuel economy, cheap small cars with strange styling, toyota reliability, and the room inside the 3 door seems adequate(musician). The dealer has given me a deal at $13,300 for a 5-speed with crank windows, but with a stereo and 15" wheels and such. Does that seem reasonable. I can afford it, but obviously don't want to pay more than I have to. I'm 6'2", and I've got just enough headroom and leg-room. The seats seem to be a little uncomfortable in the lower back, and the rear view mirror is a little low in my field of vision, but I'm thinking that I can learn to live with that sort of thing. Is that reasonable?

What I'm really curious about is two things. First of all, on my test drive today, I almost got clipped twice, first on the highway where an 18-wheeler just started moving over into my lane, and forced me onto the shoulder, and second when at an intersection somebody decided it would be cool to pass me on the left when I was turning left. So do these cars get pushed around on the roads because they're so little? The 2010's crash ratings are decent, but still, its a small car, and any crash in any car can kill you. I'm a little wary about such a small car on the ever increasingly crazy roads.

Second question is the winter driving. You might not think it, but in NE pennsylvania, the winters are brutal. I have a commute every day, and often there is no choice but to drive in it. My subaru is a 5 speed with abs and 4 wheel drive, and its basically like a tank in the winter. Besides the copious amounts of cargo space, the winter driving is the only thing I don't dislike about it, because its awesome. I've had pretty aggressive tread all-season tires on it, and have never even slipped once. I'm a little worried that this car is going to be terrible in the snow compared to the subaru, and again I really don't want to crash or be stuck, or anything like that. So, how are these cars in the bad weather as they come from the dealer, or with slight modifications like snow tires?
Thanks, and I look forward to your help!
Dave