2WD or 4WD???

I am going to buy a 2002 Ram 1500 Quad Cab and I am having a difficult time justifying the extra $ for a 4X4.

I live near St. Louis MO and occasionally we get snow/ice/sleet. I have a fairly long driveway that is on an uphill grade of about 8 feet high of 40 feet length.

Everyone (salemen) says that all I need is some weight in the backend and I will not have any problems. I am not so sure. I would hate to get a 2x4 and have to park it on the street during winter storms or have problems traveling in the snow.

I really have no practical use for 4x4 other than that.

Are these salemen right (don't trust them) and if so, how much weight would I need?

Thanks!

I have had both 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive Dodge trucks over the years and live in Virginia where the snow is not that horrible so I would say that except for my recent need for towing, we are in similar positions.

When I had my first 4 wheel drive I thought it was nearly wasted because I did not think I used it enough, but when I switched back to 2 wheel drive and found that while you may not need 4 wheel that often, there is no substitute during those times (I was standed at home for 3 days several years ago because of 18" of snow). Also, I use 4 wheel in solid pack conditions where 2 wheel may be capable of traveling but not with anywhere near the stability of 4 wheel.

Craig



I am going to buy a 2002 Ram 1500 Quad Cab and I am having a difficult time justifying the extra $ for a 4X4.

I live near St. Louis MO and occasionally we get snow/ice/sleet. I have a fairly long driveway that is on an uphill grade of about 8 feet high of 40 feet length.

Everyone (salemen) says that all I need is some weight in the backend and I will not have any problems. I am not so sure. I would hate to get a 2x4 and have to park it on the street during winter storms or have problems traveling in the snow.

I really have no practical use for 4x4 other than that.

Are these salemen right (don't trust them) and if so, how much weight would I need?

Thanks!

If you decide on the 2wd, make sure it has the locking/posi/limited slip ((whatever their buzzword is) rear. About 6 to 8 50 lb bags of playsand should be plenty. Also, if things get real bad,a set of chains does wonders.

To me it's a no-brainer. Get the 4X4. The resale value is more, If you ever have to take off from lets say a sloped boat ramp 4X4 is valuable and in ice a snow it's unbeatable for stability. Trust me if you get a 4X2 and ever get in any of these scenareos you kick yourself for not going 4X4.

I'm with oakland, the resale and ease of resale make 4X4 even a better choice.

I look at 4X4 kind of like air conditioning, Even if you never use it, it will always make your vehicle worth that much more and also more saleable.

-slacker

Without a doubt, get a 4wd......if you live some place which gets snow even once a year, it will be worth it. I have 2wd right now, and I live in NY, (Long Island - 50 miles E of NYC). I am kicking myself right now for not buying 4wd.......Not only because I'm not able to plow with 2wd, but just to go out in the snow, get stuck in 2wd, put it into 4wd, then get out from being stuck, and just to "play" in the snow is priceless. I'm selling my 2wd this summer. I will not go through another winter here without 4wd. Use it once a year, and it's worth it. Also, I have a house upstate, and I can't get to it because I don't have 4wd........never buy 2wd again!!

I have a two wheel drive and get along fine if I use the gas peddle correctly 300 lbs.and chains does help. I've driven four wheel drive and they are nice. I believe that they also get less gas mileage than two wheel so there's extra cost. I do not pretend to understand you as a person but that is what this decision is about what ever you decide is what you will use. I have seen more 4x4's in accidents than 4x2's and have seen them stuck, though not very often. I feel that the reason they are in so many accidents is because the people that drive them think that since they can take off so good they can stop better than a 4x2 which of course is not true. There is a higher cost of repair on 4x4's so if you plan on keeping it along time that would factor in too.
What ever you decide I hope it serves you well.

go for the 4x4 up here in alaska it's suicide driving a 2x4. it does cost a bit more to service and repair 4x4's sometimes a lot more but if you take care of it it will take care of you. 4x4's hold their value better too.

In Alaska I would have nothing but a 4x4 and that's a fact, but in MO. I would have more options and I could think about 4x2 verses 4x2.

I am picking up my used 4x4 today!

I just decided that I could not afford a new 2x4 and that the price on the 4x4 was pretty good.

I hope you get exactly want you want and wish you the best with it. I love my old 88 4x2 and I do again wish you the same.

I live in central minnesota where of course we get a lot of snow. I have a 2wd and don't have any problems. I have had it for 3 years and have been happy. I just put 3 60lb sandbags over each tire and it rides better all around so I leave them in all year unless I need the space. As for pulling a boat, I have a 26' boat that I have no trouble pulling out of the water.

That's pretty much how I feel too. Only in Alaska or northern Canada would I consider a 4X4 since the likelyhood of snow is much more there.

with out question 4x4 i work at a dodge dealership and it is so hard to move the 2 wheel drive trucks off of the lot. So why would the salesman give you alot for the truck if he knows that he wont be able to sell it??

I know you're right from a resale point, but, this whole thing started with the guy on top who did not ask about resale but from a use and cost perspective which brings up more questions that resale.

I've gone places with my 2X4 that some guys won't go with their 4X4's.

It's a myth around here that to drive in mud or deep snow that you gotta have a 4X4, it's false. It's not about what your truck is, it's how you use it. Sure I've gotten stuck, but I've gone lots of places with just my 2X4...

That's the main point I was trying to make. It is mainly a matter of choice. I did a price check between a new 4X4 and 4X2 then a check between a one year old 4X4 and 4X2 and since I don't know what the new price was for a 03 all I can see is that the reason you get more for a 4X4 is because you paid $3000.00 more for it and paid the extra interest too. Depreciation is not much different.

I would choose the 4x4 over a 4x2 anyday. Yes, It does cost a little more money but it is really worth it. I live in an area where we had a very long winter. The snow piles up and you can't go anywhere. With a 4x4 you can go through just about any amount of snow and/or any thing else. You will be better in the long run if you buy the 4x4. You said that you get a lot of snow where you live so you're in the same situation I am in. So go with 4x4.

I do not live in a high snow area if I did I might have a 4x4 also. Anyway, as I've said before it's a personal thing.

I go places in 2X4 that some people won't go in 4X4.

My thing is, some day you will no longer want your truck, whether your looking to upgrade or whatever, in my area, a 2wd is dead weight on the resale side.

I know most people don't need a 4X4, but they think they do and you can't sell them a 2wd. If someone wants a 2wd, you may be able to sell them a 4X4, but if they want a 4X4, you'll never sell them a 2wd.

I think this all figures into the cost prespective of the vehicle, whether your looking at fuel mileage, depreciation, or any other vehicle expense associated with vehicle purchase. I guess I always look down the road, I know that somewhere in the future, I'm gonna want to liquidate my assets and having a 4X4 makes sense to me.

-slacker

I see your point but mine is an 88 with 250,000 I know that it will be cheaper to rebuild eng. and tran. than to buy another truck and I still will have the advantage of dependable transportation at a low cost.
I know your next statement will be so don't bother please :-) it is a personal decision like everyone else has to make. All I've been doing all along is to be what you might term as a devil's advocate (though I really hate that term). All things in life have more than one answer to them and I offered mine the same as you just did. Neither can be said to be wrong in certain cases it all depends on what a person sees as his truth. Anyone reading these threads and replies now should have enough to make their own proper decision. Thanks for all your opinions but mine stop here. Bye, bye