How do I know if my car needs a new battery?
 

Probably not the most complicated car question in the world, but it's something I don't know and I bet a lot of other GCers may not either!

How do you know when your car needs a new battery? I haven't had any problems starting, just the past couple months it probably hasn't started quite as quickly. This morning it didn't sound all that great, but I only had to try once. It's also literally 2 degrees out and everyone was frozen. How much does that affect it?

It's a used car, 1997 Nissan 200sx that I bought almost 2 years ago. I believe it had a new battery when I bought it.

Any words of wisdom from those of you who know much more about cars than me would be appreciated! :)

Very cold temperatures will affect the cranking power of a car battery. It is also possible that the battery is getting near the end of its life when it no longer cranks the engine quickly. Eventually, the battery will not have enough power and require a jumpstart.

Strongly recommend that you get a replacement battery installed.

Most batteries tend to last about 2 to 3 years. The lifespan of the battery is affected by temperature. Batteries seem to die out quicker in very warm weather (Florida) or very cold weather (Pennsylvania).
I'm not sure if you have an Advanced Auto Parts store there but they'll check your battery for free. They just hook up some device to your battery to see how much "juice" is left in it. They can tell you whether or not a new battery is necessary.

ooh, thanks for the tip! There's one right near me, i'll have to check it out!