2WD or 4WD?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Need some help on deciding between an 20001 Pathfinder SE with 2WD or 4WD. I will be taking this car up into the mountains at least once a year to go snow skiing. Other than that I don't know if I need it(4WD) other than this. It would be a nice luxury to have but is it really necessary for me? Are there any extra maintanance costs for having a 4WD? What else do you use 4WD for? Any info on 4WD or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Whoa....a 2001, not a 20001....boy I'd have to wait a heck of a long time for that to come out...besides the 20001 Pathy's would probably be able to fly.

[TitaniusMaximus]

The price difference between a 4WD and a 2WD is about $1500-2000... now that translates to around $50-75/month... it's your decision... 4WD also gets worse gas mileage... and higher on insurance... about 25% more... so your operating costs could end up about a $100/month more... is one or two trips/yr in snow worth $100/month???

[TitaniusMaximus]

Oh... and another thing... NOBODY can tell if your Pathfinder is a 4WD or not, unless they go inside or look under!!!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Doctor Tae:
The price difference between a 4WD and a 2WD is about $1500-2000... now that translates to around $50-75/month... it's your decision... 4WD also gets worse gas mileage... and higher on insurance... about 25% more... so your operating costs could end up about a $100/month more... is one or two trips/yr in snow worth $100/month???<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Actually,according to the window sticker,you should not notice much of any gas mileage difference in 4wd and 2wd Paths.I assume this is because both models are geared so low and they are both heavy vehicles.As far as the extra $1500-$2000,depending on what the market is like where you live you may be better off buying a 4wd one for resale value.In my area a 4x4 model could easily be worth MORE than 2 grand over a 4x2.Maintence is a tad higher for a 4x4.My insurance company rates a 2 or 4 wheel drive SE with the same symbol..hence same insurance costs!

[ChuckH]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Kaiser:
Need some help on deciding between an 20001 Pathfinder SE with 2WD or 4WD. I will be taking this car up into the mountains at least once a year to go snow skiing. Other than that I don't know if I need it(4WD) other than this. It would be a nice luxury to have but is it really necessary for me? Are there any extra maintanance costs for having a 4WD? What else do you use 4WD for? Any info on 4WD or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


I would never buy a 2WD SUV, simply because of resale value; if you can even sell it later. Extra maintenence should be minimal or non-existent. The only extra ownership costs to consider would be slightly reduced gas mileage (not much though, really) and possibly higher insurance.

If you're going to be skiing, it's really not a hard decision. A 2WD SUV will be a nightmare on the slippery stuff. You'd be better off getting a FWD station wagon or something, if you don't want the 4WD. That's my opinion! :-)