Pickup Trucks: 2wd vs 4wd

[xxch4osxx]

Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
If I'm buying a truck, it's going to have 4wd. No ifs ands or buts. If money is a concern then save up a little longer or check less option boxes.
Exactly how I think. I would never buy a truck with only 2wd. 4x4 all the way.

 

[donnyj08]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I keep my vehicles a long time. Taking the additional cost of 4WD and spreading that cost out over the time I own the vehicle it is well worth it. At least for me. IMO a 4WD PU is easier to sell where I live and you get more money for it.


OP this post is the best post in this thread IMO. If your going to buy a truck and you live anywhere where it snows spend the extra for the 4x4. even if you never need it. The reason is resale value. my silverado books for 24k right now with the low mileage, and Z71 package. If i KBB the same truck but a 2wd it books at 17900. that is about the exact same difference between a new 4x4 silverado and a new 2wd silverado. about $6,000.

IMO if you can afford it, it is about the same cost in the end to have a 4x4. the resale value is tremendously greater in states that see any poor weather at all, or if you live in a state where there is a lot of sand, that's my opinion. Ultimately it comes down to what you feel you need/want. It is your money after all.

 

[Fordtrucktexan]

Even in states where there's rarely more than just rain - like here in Texas, 4x4's hold their resale value infinitely better than their 2wd brothers.

 

[HM12460]

The Dodge in my signature is a 2 wheel drive. Haven't owned a 4x4 in about 12 years now. This is in West Michigan too. Haven't had to call a tow truck yet, and haven't been stuck either. I do confess to throwing a snow shovel in the back a few times though. Put new Hankook's I-peak(?) dedicated snow tires on the back and I just don't have any problems getting around. I do live and work in town. Rural dweller's are much better served with a 4x4 around here. In all honesty, the next truck will be a 4x4. Just because 2 wheel drive's are scarce around here and I just want one!

 

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: HM12460
I just want one!


Probably the most important reason for getting a 4WD. Nothing wrong with that, of course.

 

[fdcg27]

I think that you've answered your own question.
If a 2WD compact pickup has worked well for you, then there's really no reason to spend more to buy a 4WD with the attendant higher fuel consumption and maintenance expense.
You might really wish that you had 4WD one or two days each winter, but you have to weigh that against the higher overall expense involved in buying and owning a 4WD.

 

[exranger06]

I've been using the 4wd on my pickup almost every day this winter. There's no way I'd be able to use a 2wd. Then again, I don't have dedicated snow tires (I have Michelin LTX MS/2s, a very good tire, but they're still all-seasons), and I don't bother putting ANY weight in the bed for traction. It's just easier to shift into 4wd when I need it than bother with doing those things. If I lived someplace where it never snows, I would get a 2wd. But here in New England, no way.

 

[silveravant]

Easy, buy a 2wd used that has was cheaper to begin with or maybe depreciated more. Use some of the money you saved to buy 4 good snow tires. Of course 4wd with snows would be better in the less than 1% of the time that 4wd is necessary. Stopping and turning are not over rated.

 

[GMBoy]

I, personally, will not own 2WD pickup or SUV. I understand it is not always needed but even if only one time - it's payed for itself. 4WD is not always about mud and snow either. Rain is also a good use for 4WD and keeps you in better control. If not for the tractions reasons..a 4WD truck just plain looks better and sits better. Most 2WD trucks sit higher in the back and I don't like that. 4WD only adds 200lbs on average to a truck and mpg is usually only 1 or 2mpgs less than a 2wd. Resale value is also better.

 

[silveravant]

Resale value is good when you sell, bad when you buy used.

 

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I keep my vehicles a long time. Taking the additional cost of 4WD and spreading that cost out over the time I own the vehicle it is well worth it. At least for me. IMO a 4WD PU is easier to sell where I live and you get more money for it.


OP this post is the best post in this thread IMO. If your going to buy a truck and you live anywhere where it snows spend the extra for the 4x4. even if you never need it. The reason is resale value. my silverado books for 24k right now with the low mileage, and Z71 package. If i KBB the same truck but a 2wd it books at 17900. that is about the exact same difference between a new 4x4 silverado and a new 2wd silverado. about $6,000.

IMO if you can afford it, it is about the same cost in the end to have a 4x4. the resale value is tremendously greater in states that see any poor weather at all, or if you live in a state where there is a lot of sand, that's my opinion. Ultimately it comes down to what you feel you need/want. It is your money after all.


This is odd. It means that, despite the greater difficulty of buying a good used 4WD (because there's more to go wrong/check, and because its more likely to have been abused on and off road, and the greater running costs (which would be expected to be more important to buyers of used vehicles), a 2WD depreciates proportionately faster, and is thus a better bet used.

So the market isn't rational.

Who knew?

 

[eljefino]

Quote:


This is odd. It means that, despite the greater difficulty of buying a good used 4WD (because there's more to go wrong/check, and because its more likely to have been abused on and off road, and the greater running costs (which would be expected to be more important to buyers of used vehicles), a 2WD depreciates proportionately faster, and is thus a better bet used.

So the market isn't rational.

Who knew?


Well, and, it's easier to buy a 10 year old kia sophia for 10% of MSRP than it is to buy a pickup truck with the same specs/ mileage/ wear. "Handy people" buy pickup trucks and they hold their value better.

The only exception is in a gas price crunch when the urban cowboys are fleeing them.

 

[MNgopher]

Part of the beauty of a pickup is that they hold value longer since when its getting a little long in the teeth, there are lots of folks looking for pickups to use as a tool. General rule of thumb for a long time was if the truck ran, it was worth a grand, regardless of body condition, etc..

And in this day and age, there are plenty of non beaten garage queen 4x4 puckups out there..

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I have a friend that daily drives a 2WD Jeep Cherokee in the snow. He manages to get to and from work every day without getting it stuck ... he just has to have loads of weight in the back. It's also a 4 cylinder, so it's not as heavy.

If I were buying one of the mini trucks, I would want 4 cylinder, manual transmission. I think the only company that offers that with 4x4 is Toyota. Nissan and GM only offer that as 4x2 models.

I think most of what I see (70 "city" / 30 country) would be do-able in a 2WD truck. I do it all in a FWD car as it is right now.

 

[barkingspider]

It all depend on what u use the truck for and where u live/work and your hobbies. I live in so cal, do not go mudding, don't tow, weather is decent or better majority of the time, 99% driving on asphalt. Never ever needed 4x4. When I was looking into buying a truck, I did not even consider a 4x4.

 

[Spazdog]

Just based on my experience with delivery trucks:

The Isuzu and the Toyota 2WDs were awful in the ice/snow. Our Toyota delivery truck was just the regular model. Not the Pre-Runner with the locking diff. Pre-Runner might be better.

The S10, Ranger, and Dakota were better. Easier to get about in a FWD car with A/S radials but you could manage in the domestics.

I actually kinda' liked the Dakota. It's still light on the back end, but you could eventually get it moving and keep it going mostly in the direction you wanted it to go. The 2.5 did not have enough power to get you into trouble anyway.

 

[meep]

our tundra is 2WD and crew cab. it's been out in the snow once with A/S tires and actually did pretty well; I was surprised (I used to live in the snow belt but down here we see it rarely). The hardest thing about its setup is just how much torque it has-- you really have to anticipate what it's going to do. It has a LS rear and that both helps and hurts, depending on how you approach things.

Because it was 2wd, I was able to buy a lot of truck for 1/3 less money used than the comparable 4x4s for sale. And yes, it isn't as "manly" as a 4x4 but except for intentional 'wheeling, going back to a 2wd has in no way restricted what I can do with it. We had sheer ice on the roads this morning, and driven sanely, no issues.

Anyway, I think the double cab helps weight distribution, because there's more metal between the axles. If we did have a big snow event I'd weight the bed forward of the axle and air down if getting out was absolutely needed.

 

[IndyIan]

Most of small farms I worked on 20 years ago did just fine with 2wd pickups. They made sure the driveways were plowed well and that's where the truck stayed. Not into the barnyard or anywhere else. 2wd tractors too for that matter, but they usually had chains unless it was a very flat farm yard.
Now its almost all 4wd trucks, but those have become the "drive to town" car as well for most too, not the dented 2wd longbox shortcab tools they used to be.
In my area, for what I want to do with a truck 4wd is a must, but there are still neighbors that get around on the road with a 2wd truck, so it can be done.

 

[whip]

From the mid 80's and back, most cars were RWD. I doubt snow tires were common, or as good as modern ones. I can't imagine snow removal was as good either. How did they manage to get around without 4WD?

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: whip
From the mid 80's and back, most cars were RWD. I doubt snow tires were common, or as good as modern ones. I can't imagine snow removal was as good either. How did they manage to get around without 4WD?


They bought Eldorados and Toronados?

I do remember seeing cars on trips up north that had tires with heavy lugs where the sidewall met the tread.