two wheel drive pick up?

[Kevin]

So, my wife has a 4 runner. It's a nice car. But needs tires and breaks and some other stuff. I suggested a new car. She enjoys new cars and if it makes her happy more power to her.

She said an F-150. Yes! Yesterday was Sunday so we went to the dealer's lot to just look around without pressure. They had a nice one but it was 2 wheel drive. How much of a deal is that? Here in Texas on the mean streets of Dallas I know it isn't a big deal... Her 4 runner is a 4 wheel drive and I will honestly say I think I shifted it one time in some Jersey snow.

You know like Jersey cows....but I digress...

So, would you look at a 2 wheel drive truck as being "less" Would you even consider one in the first place? Does it matter besides when we pull up next to some 4x4?

I do see 2 wheel drive trucks all over town.... but everyone I know who owns a truck has a 4x4.

 

[golferboy426]

For you, 4WD is a waste of money. That said I'd check resale difference of both to see if the 2wd takes a harder hit. Fixing it is nearly always better financially than trade & buy new or even sell and buy new. But you knew that most likely. Remember the first owner takes the brunt of the depreciation

 

[Poco Oso]

You might also want to look into insurance costs. It sounds to me like 2wd would work just fine for you.

 

[6gun]

Nice to have 4X4 if you enjoy going off road for recreation or work on a ranch or something, if the truck is for street driving it's a waste of money.

I had a 2 wheel drive for a lot of years even used to tow my snowmobile's up into the Utah mountains with it all winter there was a time or two I had to put chains on it to get where I was going but it always got me there.

Most people now days that own 4X4 never use them off road and for that matter lots never even use them to haul anything, if you remember the commuters up here around Seattle pickups everyday driving to town to work in a office. :lol:

I think most people now days just buy 4X4's for the cool factor and don't want to feel inferior driving a 2 wheel drive that sits lower cause they have little man syndrome, good news is now days there are companies that make lift kits for 2 wheel drives if you feel like a low rider, but a high riding truck also uses lots more gas is another thing to think about.

My truck spent more of it's life parked then it did driving cause I used it for a truck most of the time, if I didn't need to haul or tow I drove my car, I sold my truck when it was about 20 years old had only 138000, people now days put that many miles on in a few years.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Realistic option if you don't actually need a truck . . . Subaru.

:mrgreen:

 

[Dan in MI]

My 2wd is fast approaching 200k miles. I toss 300# in the bed every winter and pull it out in the Spring. Cannot remember ever getting stuck.


Generally 4WD just gets you into more trouble because you think it will save you. (mud or snow)

 

[ronto]

I try to keep things simple and less things to go wrong. If you are not concerned about getting stuck in snow or mud, you don't need 4WD.

 

[m657]

If you're living on pavement & all hat/no cattle life style & never needed 4x4 in your life.....

you don't know what you're missing and probably will get along just as you always have with 2x4.

I've put hundreds of thousands on 2x4 pickups, yet wouldn't buy one these days....as my rural life style 4x4 is of considerable advantage. I prefer the illusions 4x4 gives me vs the illusions 2x4 give....and the cost difference isn't that big a deal.

I've had rigs that really only needed 4x4 for about 50' a few times a year. Then it made ALL the difference, and I'll never go back.

IMHO if you don't know whether you need 4x4, you probably don't. Then again, if you think 2x4 gives all you need......your needs are not the same as mine.

Especially useful is the low range now & then.....and the generally extra ground clearance.

 

[whichwatch]

Look at something with AWD. I know you can't get the F-150 with it however. My wife drives a Toyota Highlander with AWD and loves it. Easy for her since there are no levers, switches and knobs to engage the AWD, it's always on.. I like the security it gives her on snowy and wet roads. It's the best highway car we've ever owned. When it's time to replace it I'm getting another one just like it, obviously newer. Has every option anyone would want.

 

[Kevin]

All hat and no cattle! Oh. Your probably right. The extra ground clearance is a valid point however. But other make a good point too in favor of 2x. Like the lower center of gravity.

Huh. I read this thread waiting to pick up my daughter from school. Then I saw a 2x drive f150 in the other lane driving home. They are nice looking. Definitely lower to the ground.

Question : does 2 wheel drive get better mileage than 4x4?

 

[6gun]

All hat and no cattle! Oh. Your probably right. The extra ground clearance is a valid point however. But other make a good point too in favor of 2x. Like the lower center of gravity.

Huh. I read this thread waiting to pick up my daughter from school. Then I saw a 2x drive f150 in the other lane driving home. They are nice looking. Definitely lower to the ground.

Question : does 2 wheel drive get better mileage than 4x4?

Yes better mileage, lower to the ground less wind resistance, and the truck weighs less without all the 4X4's parts to pack around.

 

[Kevin]

Oh and as far as the AWD....I know I like that also. We've had two cars with it. An Suv and her 4 Runner....another SUV I guess.

 

[Mike J]

I agree with everyone else. If you don't have a specific need for 4x4 it is most likely a waste of money. If you will be putting boats in on icy ramps in winter, live in a remote area (my Dad used to live in a spot where 4wd was a necessity), spend a lot of times in the woods or work a farm or ranch 4wd could be better. If none of those things are true for you I would go 2 wheel drive.

Resell value might be slightly lower but when you consider the increased fuel & maintenance costs as well as the higher purchase price I wouldn't worry about that.

 

[Kevin]

Thanks for all the input...

I just forwarded this thread on to sweetie. (Hi, honey) I told her I'd ask about the differences yesterday as we were walking around... trucks do get expensive. We used to have one and sort of miss the convenience. Well, and she just likes big vehicles.

 

[Mobuck]

For over a decade we had nothing but 4x4 vehicles. Last summer I bought a used Jeep 2x4 with a manual tranny. Gets 5 MPG better than the 4x4 Jeeps but hard to say if it's because it's 2x4 or the 5 speed manual.
If you have minimal expectations/requirements for a pickup(which would fit with the choice of an F-150), it likely won't make much difference but 4x4 often come with higher GVW ratings than the bottom end 2x4.
I've owned exactly ONE 2x4 pickup and it was a heavy duty dry weather trailer puller and nothing more.

 

[6gun]

For over a decade we had nothing but 4x4 vehicles. Last summer I bought a used Jeep 2x4 with a manual tranny. Gets 5 MPG better than the 4x4 Jeeps but hard to say if it's because it's 2x4 or the 5 speed manual.

From what I understand auto makers have stopped using manuals in most of the cars cause they no longer get better mileage than the newer automatics, if that's true it would just be your lack of packing around a transfer case, a extra drive line and front live axel, plus your Jeep probably sits lower giving you less wind resistance.

I lost over 5 MPG adding a lift kit to my Jeep is why I keep stressing lower rigs getting better mileage, I found out from experience.

 

[6gun]

Thanks for all the input...

I just forwarded this thread on to sweetie. (Hi, honey) I told her I'd ask about the differences yesterday as we were walking around... trucks do get expensive. We used to have one and sort of miss the convenience. Well, and she just likes big vehicles.

I really miss the convenience of having a pickup also, like being able to go shopping and knowing I can buy anything I want cause it will fit in the truck, or being able to go get a load of dirt when ever I want or make a dump run,

it was like having a freedom to do what you want, without a truck I shop and think well I can't buy that I have no way to haul it, or I'll have to do without that load of dirt cause the delivery costs to much, and I can't haul a load to the dump so I have to spend hours chopping things up to fit in trash bags for the garbage man to pick up.

 

[wolfsong]

A lot of guys I know use their 4x4s to get themselves in trouble. There isn't a body of water they won't cross, a hill they won't climb, a trail they won't drive, a rock they won't crawl, a snow storm they won't brave.

I use my 4x4 to get myself OUT of trouble. I walk the water before I cross it. If I don't know what's at the top of the hill (or on the other side) I don't climb it. If the trail isn't wide enough for a truck and a half I turn around. God made rocks for a reason. I go around them. Snow IS a different story; sometimes you just can't avoid it. I also carry chains and a shovel.

But, if and when I do need four wheel drive, I'm damn glad I have it!

 

[Ale-8(1)]

First decision: do I really need a TRUCK? That's the big item.

FWIW, I have discovered that I can haul a dozen bales of straw in/on my 2001 Forester.

I have also hauled a washer/dryer pair, one-at-a-time.

Haven't done it, but I think I could haul a conventional refrigerator, laid down.

And I hauled home a sixteen-foot extension ladder . . . inside the vehicle.

Can't do 4' x 8' sheets of plywood . . . not inside, anyway. There is a top rack in place.

Seriously heavy/dirty stuff, nope. A trailer hitch would solve these shortcomings, however.

The newer Foresters are essentially as big as the Outbacks.

 

[cruzerlou]

Kevin,
Let me put it to you this way.
When I worked for V.D.O.T. one of my jobs was driving a Ford 7000 series tandum dump truck with a sand/ salt spreader and snow plow on it during snow storms.
All the supervisors drove two wheel drive Chevy pickups .
No matter how much snow there might be they got around just fine .
So unless your going off road into deep sand or mud four wheel drive is a waste of money.
One more thing, most folks don't know it but what's referred to by dealers and most folks that don't know any better is that a standard four wheel drive is really two wheel drive,just when you lock in the transfer case it shifts power to the front axle,but onle ONE wheel on each axle is pulling.If you have limited slip on both axles only one wheel on each axle gets any power .My 1978 W 100 Dodge had true four wheel deive. A locking diff in the transfer case and and possi trac /locking diffs on both front and rear axles . Limited slip just means if one wheel on the axle looses grip the diff shifts power to the other wheel ,possi trac splits power equally between both wheels all the time but let's the inside wheel in a turn turn slower Than the outside wheel as to not bind the axles. A standard diff only sends power to one wheel all the time.
You couldn't lock the transfer case on hard ground. You had it be in mud,snow or sand or you'd break an axle .
To get true four wheel drive you have to special order the truck or take it to a 4 X4 shop and have the locking dffs installed in both axles.Give me a call if you don't understand what I mean.
Lou

 

[contender]

Kevin, you are in Dallas. You've been here to my mountains. Here, we need 4x4 more often than you will. I've lived in Central Texas, and didn't NEED 4x4 there. I had a 2wd there. But, if the weather turns bad, (icy) then stay off the roads. Too many folks in Texas do NOT know how to drive in such stuff, even with 4x4. Now, when we did need 4x4 in Tx, my buddy, (from Kansas,) had one & we pulled a LOT of folks out of ditches with it.
I doubt you'll need it.

 

[Jim Puke]

But, if and when I do need four wheel drive, I'm damn glad I have it!

X 2

In the future, if I only have one truck...it WILL have four-wheel drive...y'all can drive whatever you want.

Anyone that has not used the Auto4wheel feature on the newer vehicles, has no idea how well it works in any limited traction situation.

 

[graygun]

Don't buy a 4x4 because it's cool compared to a 2wd. Is that a Dallas thing? Of course,it's her decision and purchase but she probably would be fine with a 2wd. Have fun!

 

[6gun]

Kevin,
Let me put it to you this way.
When I worked for V.D.O.T. one of my jobs was driving a Ford 7000 series tandum dump truck with a sand/ salt spreader and snow plow on it during snow storms.
All the supervisors drove two wheel drive Chevy pickups .
No matter how much snow there might be they got around just fine .
So unless your going off road into deep sand or mud four wheel drive is a waste of money.
One more thing, most folks don't know it but what's referred to by dealers and most folks that don't know any better is that a standard four wheel drive is really two wheel drive,just when you lock in the transfer case it shifts power to the front axle,but onle ONE wheel on each axle is pulling.If you have limited slip on both axles only one wheel on each axle gets any power .My 1978 W 100 Dodge had true four wheel deive. A locking diff in the transfer case and and possi trac /locking diffs on both front and rear axles . Limited slip just means if one wheel on the axle looses grip the diff shifts power to the other wheel ,possi trac splits power equally between both wheels all the time but let's the inside wheel in a turn turn slower Than the outside wheel as to not bind the axles. A standard diff only sends power to one wheel all the time.
You couldn't lock the transfer case on hard ground. You had it be in mud,snow or sand or you'd break an axle .
To get true four wheel drive you have to special order the truck or take it to a 4 X4 shop and have the locking dffs installed in both axles.Give me a call if you don't understand what I mean.
Lou

I use to see those pickups they call 4X4's stuck all the time when up snowmobiling with their one front tire spinning and one rear tire spinning digger them in deeper :lol: they weren't smart enough to bring chains with them to deal with deep snow.

I think the New Dodge power wagon's are the only pickup left that have a solid front axel so they can be ordered with lockers front and rear, or install after market ones, all the other new pickups with no solid front axel you can't put a locker in the front.

other than that the only other new rigs with front and rear axels is Jeep Wranglers, the Rubicon model comes from the factory with front and rear lockers, the standard models Wranglers you can install after market lockers front and rear, some of the after market lockers are way better and stronger than the factory.

So like Lou is saying a new 4X4 pickup unless it is a Dodge power wagon will actually be a two wheel drive, and a two wheel drive is actually a one wheel drive.

 

[cruzerlou]

Yeah,I've built enough diffs to know what I'm talking about .My Dodge wea a root in monster and the guys with the big jacked up fords and Chevy's just couldn't understand why I could idle through holes that their trucks would get stuck in every time LOL .
Lou

 

[Kevin]

Wow! Thanks so much for everything. I did know some of this about 4x4. I think the old Land Rovers could be locked into a true 4 wheel drive.

As far as trade in values, I talked with someone who traded in an F150 Lariat last summer. It was 5 years old with 120k miles and he got $12,500.

He seemed happy about it. I don't know if it had any problems, but that's a lot of miles on a truck. For me at least. All on the mean streets of Dallas. Some of the potholes in the roads remind me of some old forest service roads I've been down.

 

[Dan in MI]

I don't think you "lose" anything on trade in w/ 2wd versus 4wd. They start out with a large price variance and the trend just continues. A far as a smaller market for 2WD. Kinda doubt that too. I don't have the sales records, but I'll bet it's about 3:1 2wd versus 4wd. If the new market is 3:1, why would it change for the used market?

 

[radicalrod]

Well I would think in TEXAS you would want a JACKED UP 4x4 DIESEL DUALLY with GIANT SMOKE STACKS ...

I know that is what I would want :lol: :lol: :lol:

I always enjoy seeing women driving these kind of riggs :roll: :roll: :roll: RR

 

[gtxmonte]

Nine out of ten people who have a 4x4 don't use or ever even need it. If you are not going off road, what would you possibly need 4 wheel drive for, especially in Texas. People talk about 4x4s and AWD being more stable in traction limited situations. Other than off road, that would be snow and ice. On ice, true ice, nothing really helps. In snow, yes, AWD helps............but did I mention you said you were in Texas..........LOL!!!

 

[Heliman]

I have 3 trucks. One is a '97 F250 with a Powerstroke diesel and 4WD. I use it for towing my 5th wheel trailer and hunting, where the roads can get nasty. It is my working truck.

A 2000 Dodge Dakota is 2WD and is just a utility vehicle for all manner of chores around town. It is also my mule for hauling goodies to and from gun shows.......

My 2002 Ford F-150 Lightning is for driving very fast and having fun. Not practical, but fun as hell.

I guess if I were practical and trying to accomplish all my required truck needs I would need the 4WD. Everyone's situation is different.

Dave