Possible move to CO....

Same here, need a change and have plans to drive some of it in may

 

I highly recommend 1st gear & then 2nd gear the next day for anyone moving from a state that doesn't get snow. It's a little pricey, but well worth it when you consider how much a fender bender costs in time, money & aggravation. Geico gives a 10% discount to graduates.
http://winterdrive.com/

 

Not sure about slower area. When I think slower I think little country town. But Denver is slower then most other large cities.

Three years ago I left the Denver metro area for the Fort Collins/Loveland area. It was the exact change of pace I was looking for.

 

Might help to know if your job experience is "industry specific" or you can work anywhere?

I also say Sell 2WD there and but 4WD here. I also agree that Colorado Springs or Ft Collins might be better if seeking short commute from home in "slow pace" area.

 

Grand Junction area is good as well

 

If you can find a job to support the cost of living, like most of our Mtn towns.

 

Curious, why did they close it? 25 years ago, this area was a hot spot for camping, shooting and four wheeling, now all you can do is camp (without a fire). I think having fun might even be prohibited now.

It is really sad to see such a nice state turn to such shit. They closed most of the trails and camping spots because, they say, people left trash up there... believe me, that is nothing new. Hikers complained because they thought they were being shot at by target shooters, but these were mostly city people who assume they are under fire if they hear a gunshot 10 miles away. No regrets leaving Colorado. This poor state was ruined by Texans and Californians, it is sickening.

 

Rampart range road closed for winter and the motoring comitty that maintained all the free mx and atv trails was open till "mud season" to preserve the trails

 

How modded (personalized) is your truck? If it's stock, I say sell it in HI. If it's built just the way you want, you might have a tough time letting it go. It's not impossible to drive a 2WD in CO, but I wouldn't do it myself.
As far as towns go, what's your population size of "slow"? I can't stand Denver - WAY too big and crowded for me. Springs is tolerable, but I'm only here cause of the paycheck. If I won powerball, you bet your ass I'd be moving up to a mountain town super quick. I love Pagosa Springs, Salida, Alamosa, Durango, etc.
Good luck with the move.

 

"Free" my ass (not a jab at you Dirtrider), but how much have you paid for forest tags on your bike? 90% (quite literally) of the trails are now closed. Volunteer groups used to maintain trails and pick up trash, and yes, I was part of those groups because I used to contribute to the "mess"... and it was another opportunity to drink beer with the group .

These trails used to be open all year long, and erosion was never a concern because there was little traffic. Over population of Colorado is now the concern.

Really not attacking you, but you have paid for trail maintenance many times over.

 

I'm the rare person that can get around with a 5-lug without problems, but then I don't head into the mountains in winter too often since I don't ski, etc.

But if I were you I'd sell the pre-runner there, you won't get as much for it here.

I actually saw a pre-runner here yesterday, first I'd ever seen in CO, but it had CA plates.

 

True I dident think about the tags but I've never seen them check but I gotta agree that it's crowded up there. I only go on off times, and seen to many campers left in the spots holding them for weeks at a time
The trails this year were only closed for 2weeks. Where as the forest service closed the road all winter

 

Weed also legal in Oregon and Washington.

 

We made a similar move years ago going from the south where I had bought a Prerunner to later ending up in Colorado. Will a 2wd work here? It depends on what you want or need to do. I made it work for 7.5 years before upgrading to a 4wd. Good tires can really help you out as will careful driving when there is snow out. When it gets bad, stay off the roads for awhile until they clear up. The sun melts the snow off the roads rather quickly most of the time and the cities work to keep the roads clear with main roads having higher priority than side roads. Usually the worst conditions will be around neighborhoods. However if you want to stay out of the city and populated areas the roads may not clear as quickly.

Will you want or need to get up to the mountains for skiing in fresh snow or other events? If so you will want 4wd.

One thing we did to make my truck last longer is my wife got a 4wd 4Runner and I also picked up a cheap '86 4wd 4Runner to use when the roads were bad and to commute to work. This allowed me to get where I needed to if the roads got really bad.

What made me upgrade was a need to get to or from work before the plows got out to clear the roads. Every now and then a storm surprises everyone with more snow than forecast and 4wd is needed.

When it came to sell the truck it was a challenge in Colorado. My first trip to the dealer to test drive resulted in them low balling me by 25% on the value because "2 wheel drives do not sell here." Their price did come way up when I got up and walked out... But it is very rare to see a Prerunner around Colorado. I ended up buying my current truck and then selling my Prerunner myself to a coworker's son who lived back in the south. I was able to give him a good deal and still get more than I would have had via a trade-in.

So ways you can make the truck work: live near main roads, have a flexible work schedule to avoid travel during bad periods of snow, get good tires, consider studded tires for the winter, drive carefully. If you live further out, need to travel to work at a set time all the time or want to play in fresh snow then I would suggest moving to a 4wd.

 

If you're not into the whole brevity thing.

 

Hi all and thank you so much for all the responses! I really appreciate it!! We will be looking into areas like Colorado Springs. We both work in the animal field but I could go with something else even though animals are my passion. I've lived in Hawaii all my life and have never driven in the snow nor have I had to drive longer than 10 minutes to get to work since I live fairly near to my job! This would be a huge change in so many ways for me! Needles to say I'm terrified! Lol the cost of living here is getting so bad and therefore we are looking at other options. From what I've gathered my 4cyl. Prerunner will be a sand bag there! :| and as much as I love my truck which works perfectly fine here and is customized the way I like it I'll have to let it go for a 4x4....

 

I'd definitely sell your 2WD there, you'll be highly disappointed spending all the money to ship it only to try and sell it here for pennies.

I'd try and find a job before moving for sure. There's a high cost of living too and jobs can be difficult to find around here. I used to defend Colorado Springs when people said they didn't like it, I've been here since 1997 and practically grew up here. I've noticed this place going downhill. Increasing trend in crime and homelessness. Better get a nice suspension too for our craptastic roads lol. Just be sure to do your research. I'm pretty much ready to get out of here.

I guess the only good thing here is we have no emissions?

 

I love Colorado springs. Been here 20 years and would never live anywhere else. I've gone so many places and always wonder why I even leave the state.

 

So I'm gonna try and sell my truck on my own and see what I can get, worse comes to worse i'll have to trade it in. I hate to let it go but I must do this to be prepared for if and I when I take the leap to move! Finding a nice newer Tacoma here is insane! A used one will still easily be in the 30's!! The 2017 Nissan Frontiers are looking better and better with the price tag they have on it for a 4x4!!!!