Here's my reasoning:

a. Idaho
b. Must pull 4-place snowmobile trailer through varying amounts of snow-covered roads 5 months out of the year.
c. Hunting in the Rocky's in the late fall isn't an easy drive--even in 4wd.

It's a necessity here. Dealers don't even carry 2x4s on the lot--they're special orders only most of the time.

But I have to say, if I lived in Texas or somewhere flat and dry I would likely buy a 2wd.

 

Isn't it great we can all have our own opinions based on our own life experiences!!

 

about the 4x4 vs 4x2...i have been looking at 4x2's reg cabs for several weeks; had omitted 4x4's due to lack of use around here and the insurance cost. So today I check the quote from State Farm on 4x2 reg cab , it was rated so high the insurance guy made a comment about it, so we checked the rate for 4x4, yep its now cheaper to own a 4x4 than 4x2 for insurance rates!!! I said, what gives, I have checked rates bout every year and 4x4 was ALWAYS higher. Now it seems State Farm makes rates on number of types of vehicles sold and how many are in wrecks or are stolen...bottom line- if I get a 4x4 reg cab, it is 200 bucks cheaper on insurance rate than the 4x2!!!!! so now i have to rethink my purchase, heck with 5 years of insurance alone, it would pay 1/3-1/2 the cost of adding 4x4 to vehicle msrp.......I think my jaw will get better after the initial drop????!!??

 

Ever drive a 4X2 in the snow? Try it. You'll opt for the 4X4 every time.
it's also nice when you want to take the truck on the beach.

 

Use it even once a year to avoid the inconvience,possible tow
truck cost, and safety in snow and I find it well worth it(4x2 is no comparison to
4 wheel drive)Ever slide in a turn and ACCELERATE to keep from sliding off the
road? Try that in 2 wheel drive.

 

I use my 4x4 every so often when I have dirtbikes and quads in the bed and I want to set up home base is a little away from the main roads. This winter will be my first with 4x4 and I plan to use it whenever there is doubt about road conditions. I might get to my destination just fine in 2wd, but anything that helps the traction is good in my book. Just the confidence factor of the extra traction is kind of nice. And if you ever slide off the road in winter conditions, the 4x4 option suddenly doesn't seem so expensive.

The fuel economy argument doesn't seem so cut and dry either. Buy 2wd for increased fuel mileage, but load up your bed with weight through the winter for traction, and get worse fuel mileage anyways?

But I agree with the posts above, if I lived in a climate where I never needed/used 4wd, or I never took my truck off road, I would have bought a 2wd with lsd.

Bottom line in my opinion, if you think you'll ever need it, buy it, if not, don't.

It's your money, and neither way is better, that's why Ford offers both.

 

50% of the year no I don't need it. The other 50% of the year I use it often. One farm I have to go to often is up a hill two miles long that has to be one of the steepest hills I have ever drove that was a public road. When it snows it is still impassible most times but with a 4x2 you wouldn't make it with the least bit of snow/ice.
I also pull a trailer and get offroad with it often, usually through the fall/winter and without 4x4 I'd be stuck often. Most times it is unloaded and a lot lighter when I leave the road and once it is loaded and heavier it lets you know when the ground starts to get soft.
Also the hills on the farm are impossible with a 4x2 truck, fine for a 4-wheeler or tractor but not a truck.
When I go on a hunting trip I like the fact that mud. sleet, snow and rain don't deter my drive to go. I don't travel far off the beaten path with the truck but often times it's long country roads that I may have been the first truck down that road in a week or more and snow plows don't hit many of these roads.
The resale value is also helped. The 4x4 itself doesn't really loose much value, if it costs an extra $3000 at purchase new, after five years it makes a difference of about $2500 at trade in whereas the rest of the truck is depreciated more.
My insurance would be $10 a month difference, and I'm 24 years old. For an old man (sorry for those who I may offend) it probably wouldn't make as much difference.
However, I just traded in the first 4x2 truck I have ever owned, I will probably never won another either. Getting stuck in wet grass on the slightest incline in my yard is not something to look forward to. Sometmes at the boat launch I had the same problem, I hate being laughed at by guys who aren't getting stuck at the ramp.

 

All would be lost without my transfer case. I dont use it often, but i would hate my bronco if it didnt have 4wd.

 

A few years back I lived out in the country. My driveway was 1/4mi. of loose dirt and gravel with two steep(60ft. vertical drops) hills in it. I used my 4x4 option everyday just to get to and from the main road. Now I lve in the burbs and have to look for chances to engage 4x4 just to keep things from rusting up. Usually it's a woman who asks why I need a 4x4, trying to make me look like some sort of macho fool. I look her straight in the eye and ask her why she needs 12pr. of shoes, all the same color!

 

If it gets me out of a jam once a year, it's worth every penny.

 

do i need 4x4 all year, no. but there are those times in the winter that it comes in handy.

 

I kind of see a 4X4 kind of being much like insurance. You don't always need it, or want to pay for it, but glad you have it when you need it.

 

My take on this topic is this:


4 wheel drive is sort of like a firearm, when you need one, you really need one.

 

I have had four wheel drive vehicles since 1982. I have lived in Massachusetts, Indiana and Washington State. I have needed and used 4 wheel drive in all three locations because of necessity. I cannot tell you how many times I have used it just because I wandered off the highway someplace to explore some dirt road going off into the woods. I would never own a truck without 4WD. As far as maintenance, it really isn't that hard folks. With some common tools, a manual and a lazy Saturday afternoon just about anyone can maintain the extra parts (i.e. packing wheel bearings, changing diff/xfer case fluid, greasing drive shafts etc etc). If you reach for that transfer case lever/button or **** once and it gets you out of a jam, it was worth every penny. As to economy, oh please, these things aren't Honda CRVs we're talking about here. IF you bought your full sized truck (2WD or 4WD) for fuel economy you may want to revisit that decision long before considering whether 4WD is something you need......

For what it's worth

TV

 

LOL, well put!