jeffinthebag

I had both. 2wd with good tires is all I ever really needed. The 4wd only have a higher resale price of $2000 or so is because it cost $2000 to buy a 4wd.
Less to break, cheaper to buy and unless you know definitely you will need it. Go with the 2wd. My next truck will be. 2wd again. I'm in the northeast area too.

Summers22

iTrader: (2)

I live in Kansas so plenty of ice and snow in the winter. All my hunting and fishing are done either maintained roads, or from a UTV on my parents 400 acres. Only concerning thing is launching our 28' pontoon, but did just fine with e-locker this summer. Weight in the bed and common sense go a long way. I will say, I liked the LS 3.55 in my 07 a little better than my 17's e-locker, but it gets the job done. I have had a 4wd Ranger and it was fine, but I will probably always own RWD trucks. In my 25 years of driving in ice/snow/mud, I have never "needed" a 4wd truck.

BareBonesXL

Midwest = flat. Limited slip in the back is enough to get you going.

I bought a 4WD when I lived in New Mexico (the hilly part) and it was the only way to get around in the winter snow. I moved to Philadelphia and they won't even let you drive until they get the roads plowed so 4WD didn't matter.

Has anybody mentioned "betweem" yet?

Ryan_2020

BareBonesXL

I remember seeing the curvature of the earth as a boy, as we drove across Kansas.

icantdrive55

There are certainly many places in the "fly-over states" that statement rings true. However, any cities built along a river, at least north of the Mississippi Delta, can be quite hilly. While total elevation change is prolly only 400-700' for any given area, the grades are pretty steep, with many of the roads having an 8-10% grade. Even the I-75 corridor into the Ohio River valley from NKY was approx. 6-7% for about 1.5 miles with the "Trucks Use Low Gear" warning. SE Indiana has a Switzerland County...for good reason! Trust me when I say that our ice and snow provides lots of entertainment for poor drivers or those with less than perfect tire tread. A set of 4 studded snows solves most of these problems...until you find yourself stuck behind the aforementioned drivers.

bassJAM

Now if we're being honest with ourselves and truly talking about NEED, I'd bet good money that most of us wouldn't have trucks. I know for myself it'd be a lot cheaper to drive a Civic and rent a truck from Home Depot for the 10 or so times a year that I need to haul something too large to fit in a trunk. In the long run it'd be cheaper to have my mulch, topsoil and gravel delivered that the cost of a trailer and truck as well. The savings I get from hauling free firewood for free heat in the winter are quickly eaten up by 17 mpg year-round.

No, we have trucks because it's convenient to not have to make 4 trips hauling sacks of concrete in a sedan, or to toss a deer in the bed vs lining a trunk with a tarp to contain blood and hair.

I'm sure half of you are reading this and screaming "Blasphemy! I truly need a truck for that one sheet of plywood I bought a Lowe's 6 months ago and to haul my Harley to Daytona once a year! Kick this guy off the forum, he doesn't understand!" Lol

Strad

Here in the south we are more likely to get freezing rain that breaks powerlines and trees than snow. Ice is not the same as snow when it comes to driving.

icantdrive55

Oh, you're good. Shame on you for being a realist!

GossipIsBad

Well written, and a fun read. I drive my pickup when i have to tow or haul something large, which is multiple times per week. Yesterday i hauled an excavator dig bucket that weighs about 2200 or 2300 lbs in the box of my pickup, and then after that 18 five gallon buckets of hydraulic oil. My pickup is worked 4 to 6 days a week on average, which is why I have it. The car is just so much nicer to drive if not hauling something. But I have a not fancy XLT regular cab, rear wheel drive, and drive it into job sites and up dirt roads many times per week, often many times per day. My biggest needs are a tow hitch and 8 foot box, but I sure enjoy the air conditioning, but don't need it, just makes it more comfortable is all. I could roll the windows down and just sweat, but it would not kill me. The family pickup truck when I was a kid had no air conditioning, we hand cranked the windows down, and sat 4 people on the bench seat.