4X4 or 4X2? what should i get?

$2500 works out to 70 dollars a month for 5 years at 4.5% interest

 

1st truck: 88 Ford Ranger, 6 cyl; 4 speed, 2WD. While hunting, I rescued my Dad and the dog (Dad was fine but the dog needed help) descending and climbing a trail to the river bottom my dad said he would not have driven down. Chained up in snow as necessary.
2nd truck: 92 Ford Ranger, 6 cyl; 4-sp automatic with overdrive. 2WD. Don't know that I ever left the pavement or gravel.
3rd truck: 68 Chev C10; V8; 3 spd. column-shift. 2WD. Took on bumpy dusty roads with no gravel but nothing taxing. No snow.
4th truck: 15 Ford F150 Supercrew; V8, auto, 4WD. Snow, sand, mud, water, inclines. It went everywhere, even where my friends in 4WD wouldn't go. Great rig. Took me hunting to places I wouldn't have gone otherwise. Needed 40 acres to turn around though.
5th truck: 10 Toyota Tacoma, 6 cyl., 6-speed MT, 4WD. Got stuck in the snow twice this past winter because the drifts were too deep. Dug out both times and went somewhere else instead of calling it a day. Goes through mud, sand, water and most snow no problem. Scares my passengers occasionally, but it's a capable rig. Takes me places I wouldn't have gone otherwise.

Is a 2WD going to take you where you want to go or is a 2WD going to limit where you can go? I'm pretty plain vanilla when it comes to off-road adventures. But trekking sometimes involves tracks, not roads. I have no interest in sand dunes, but occasionally I want to cross that ridge over there. Determine what your flavor is and buy the appropriate rig.

Final note: this is not your last vehicle. You can always sell it and buy one to suit your current needs.

 

Just like my pistol.
I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

 

2WD club checking in. With just a set of nice tires the truck is damn capable and gets me anywhere I need to be. I do light to moderate trails whenever I go on road trips, I've been up Bolivar beach, I've dragged my camper across muddy fields, up gravel mountain roads, and through occasional light snow. All with a 2WD truck. If I want to go hit the heavy trails (which are a lot of fun) I go bashing on a rental SxS and leave the daily driver in the parking lot.

I sold my 4x4 a number of years ago, and honestly I haven't missed it.

 

get a 4x4.

do not buy a 4x2 trd or

 

Why???

 

4x4. The truck gets stuck quite easy in 2WD because of the front-heavy weight distribution. It's worse than FWD sedans in some situations:

https://youtu.be/59vJAtGMSuM?t=123

 

4x4 Always. No Brainer!!!

 

4wd should be a non negotiable in TX along with AC.

 

Around here, 4x2 pickups are pointless. 4x4 is one of the main reasons you get a truck. I understand you are in Texas so winter isn't as big of a deal, but there are other situations as well. It just depends on your driving style/needs.

 

I wouldn’t say tires and driver fully make up for 4wd. I once got stuck a grassy hill because the ground was wet when I had a 2wd. Not even a steep hill. That said, I’ve seen 2wd trucks hit the trails hard.

 

4x4 or a Prius, should be the real question....

 

What kind of trail is it when you go fishing? Being from SE Texas I would say that more than likely you do not need 4x4. I’d bet that 90% of us that buy Tacomas or any truck really don’t need 4x4. But hey, it makes you a lot cooler when you have it, right!

 

Seriously

 

Most of those who buy 4x4 probably never need to use it, never. It will have a higher resale and may be easier to resale but buy what you need, especially if you’re going to keep it a while.

 

It would be pretty hard for anyone here to truly answer that question, OP. A 2wd truck with decent tires and a good driver can go a lot of places. I had a 2008 TRD Off Road 4x2 that had the rear locker and it took me most everywhere I needed to go. It did surprisingly well.

With that being said, my last 3 trucks have all been 4wd and it's nice to have that peace of mind when I'm out by myself. I've had a few instances where if I had not had 4wd, I would have been walking a couple of miles to find cell service to call a friend. Of course, if I had been in a 2wd, I would have probably been more cautious and avoided those areas.

OP, you're the only one that truly knows whether or not 4wd will be of any benefit to you. I like having it for those times where I get myself in trouble or when I want to have a little fun on the trail. Also, if I remember correctly, Texas has some beaches that you can drive on. If you do that at all, I would think 4wd is a necessity.

 

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

 

$70/month seems pretty high for that interest rate. It should be in the neighborhood of about $46-$47/month for 5 years at 4.5% interest, unless I'm missing something.

 

4x4 just because

 

Perhaps I fat fingered something

I also did round up