Hey,

A quick question for the brain trust: is there any real advantage to having a 4x4 truck? Currently I have a ‘14 f150, 5.0v8 super cab. Just rolled 100k last week. It’s the 4x4, but where I live it might get put into 4 wheel 1-2 times a year. Is it needed when I can get a cheaper truck (f250, 6.2 gas 2wd)? My towing is limited to a 500lb trailer for camping 3-4x a year and about 10k miles a year. Diesel isn’t an option due to emissions crap and many short trips throughout the week.

The 5.0 is decent in all regards but for future purchases a dealer near me sells used fleet trucks (under 75k miles) for super cheap, but they all are 2wd.

Resale and trade in value is higher on the 4 X 4.

Only you can decide if you really need it. Are you often in low traction situations?

I need it just often enough to where I will never again be without it. Probably less than 10 times a year. But when I need it, I want it to be there.

And I agree that you often do get it back on resale.

I definitely wouldn't get a 6.2L when all I ever haul is 500 lbs. That's more useless than 4x4, imo.

quote:

Originally posted by 226mk25:
is there any real advantage to having a 4x4 truck?

Only when you need it. Then, it's worth it's weight in gold.

All my trucks have been 4wd. I don’t use it very often, but when you need it……you need it.

In your case I would ask do you need a super duty vs a 150?
Oregon has a lot of territory and conditions where a 4wd is required. Say vs NY or FL. etc.

Since is does not sound like you need a Super duty I say keep or get a 4wd 1/2 ton.

I faced this back in 2017 when I bought my current F-150. I was about to pluck down major money (for me) to buy a brand new truck. Naturally, I was going to buy a 4x4, since every vehicle I had owned since 2000 has been a 4x4.

I then decided to count how many times I had actually needed to engage four-wheel drive (high or low) since then (so over a 17 year period) in my daily driver vehicle.

In the course of 17 years I had actually needed it one time (although I arguably could have gotten out of the predicament without it) and I had put it in 4WD "just to be safe" two other times.

So in the course of 17 years I had actually used it 3 times on my personal vehicle.

Then I thought about my work cars which for 17 years had been Ford Crown Victoria's which were were RWD only, body on frame, with a V8 engine. I abused those cars and put them in much more precarious situations and never needed 4WD or all terrain tires once.

I came to the logical conclusion that I did not need a 4x4, nor did I need all terrain tires based upon my past 17 years of experience. I did decide that I wanted a RWD with a V8, which is what I ultimately bought.

For the same amount of money I got much more truck (a higher trim package) with greater towing capacity and one less complication to have to service.

I've had my current truck since September 2017 (nearly six years now) and have never regretted my decision to go RWD V8 once.

In 120,000 miles with my rwd truck, I have needed a wrecker once. I had stopped at the tire store to get new tires, but the size needed had to be ordered. On my way home, I wound up going backwards off the highway during a rainstorm. 4wd wouldn’t have kept me on the road or pulled me out of the media with those bald tires.

In 155,000 miles on my 4wd truck, I have needed a wrecker once. 4wd and new all-terrain tires wouldn’t get my 5th wheel out the lot next to my house after a rainstorm. It did get me in and out of a few spots, maybe three times.

Neither truck was/is driven in snow. I drove in Wisconsin winters for 15 years I about equally with rwd, fwd, and 4wd. I got them all stuck. I got them all out with a snow shovel.

Barring snow country or farm work, the only place I can see 4wd being handy is at the boat ramp. Getting your rear tires on the slippery stuff at low tide could be a disaster.

Better resale is sort of true, but I‘ve mostly run my vehicles into the ground and then donated them. Investing the price difference between rwd and 4wd will pay for the wrecker and still leave you with more money than any price difference on resale.

I like awd because it’s always on and ready when needed, but I’ll be skipping 4wd on the next truck.

If a 500lb trailer was not a typo, there’s no way I’d trade the truck you have though just to get a rwd truck. You don’t need more truck than an F150 to tow 500lbs. Even if you meant 5,000lbs, you don’t need more truck just based on how much you are using it. If you were towing 5,000lbs everyday like a landscape guy or something, I’d probably choose an F250 over an F150.

For reference, my oldest and I just towed 2 Waverunners on an aluminum trailer (maybe 2,000lbs) 1,650 miles with our 2012 V6 Honda Odyssey minivan with 80,000 miles on it. The last 400 miles included my wife, the other 2 kids, the dog, and lots of luggage. Never once did I feel like I needed more truck. It was sagging the last 400 miles, so I could have used a weight distributing hitch, but this was a one time deal. My only disappointment was the 15mpg we averaged. Almost the same trip in May, but with my F350 diesel and 2 larger PWCs with a steel trailer (maybe 3,000lbs) I averaged 14mpg.

I have a 3/4 ton 6.0L and would highly recommend this configuration for towing as you describe.

You will lose mpg and ride comfort. You will increase replacement tire cost. You will reduce parking maneuverability.

I guess the question is what is “super cheap” compared to what the other trucks would cost?

I’ve always had 4x4 diesel trucks for my construction business. Then in ‘07 when the recession started to hit and diesel went to $5/gal here. I bought a 2wd Ford Ranger with the 2.3L 4 cylinder for just banging around (I still kept the Super Duty). I figured that if I could drive it 50% of the 40K miles I was driving that I would pay for that truck in fuel savings in just 2 years.

Long story short I ended up driving it about 80% of the time and kept it until I retired in 2019. I found that I didn’t need a 4x4 as much as I thought and that surprised me. That truck literally saved me thousands of dollars.

My last three trucks have been 4X4. Current truck is a 2012 F250 4dr long bed 4X4 w/ 6.2gas. I happen to like the 6.2. I grew up with diesel trucks. Started with a 1978 5.7 Chevy (no bashing, we got good service out of it). But I just can’t justify a late model diesel. Too many electronics, too many emission controls.
My situation is different from yours…I use 4X4 quite often around the ranch. But very seldom for mud. I need it just as often to merely “untrack” a trailer on wet grass. Or to extricate myself from a damp hay meadow w/o making ruts that I have to then drive a tractor over later.
I’d really like to try a new 7.3 gas from Ford, but it’s SOOOO much cheaper to put parts on my 2012 than put payments on a new truck.

Kinda depends where one lives & what they do. Likely the selection is better with 4x4, more offerings cuz most want. Yes, resale, all that.

I’ve mostly moved on to the 4x4 truck, even live here in WI. Not long back, a few trucks, I got by rather well with 2WD. I’m just a tad ‘old school’.

That old school included some ‘inverted V’ tire chains. With those, one could almost climb a tree, providing you didn’t sink to the frame. I also mixed in some Blizzack tires as needed, even towed in the Winter with such.

I realize, most don’t want to deal with tire chains & dedicated Winter tires. Like many, I don’t need 4wd often, but when I do, I may need it bad.

Never thought much of 4x4 until I owned one. Now, I'll always have one vehicle with 4x4 capability. I enjoy spending time on the trails but also have a little bit of comfort knowing I can drive off the highway in an emergency.

Sounds like to me you can do without. And if you can get a good buy on the SD I'd go for it. It's going to ride firmer, more jolts going over RR tracks and potholes but that's not a deal breaker for me.

I owned 2 wheel drive trucks when I was young and could not afford a 4x4. I told myself back then that as soon as I could, I would own a 4x4 and never again be without one, and I've stuck to it. Here in MI it is really nice to have.

I won't live in Michigan without a 4x4 vehicle. It depends on where you live IMHO

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by 226mk25:
is there any real advantage to having a 4x4 truck?

Only when you need it. Then, it's worth it's weight in gold.

For me, I would never buy a 2x4 truck.

Sounds like you can do with 2wd.

As for resale value, that only matters if you keep it for a short time and it doesn't sound like you're the type to get something else in 2-3 years. If resale value is something like double with 4x4 vs 2wd, that might be a consideration but how many years are we talking about?

Are insurance costs more for 4x4? Fuel consumption more in 4x4?

Amazing some people will justify spending thousands more for something they "might" need when it comes to a vehicle yet but won't spend a few dollars more for everyday items.

4x4 is an advantage often enough for me it doesn't
matter what the theoretical extra cost may be.

quote:

A quick question for the brain trust: is there any real advantage to having a 4x4 truck?

Yes.