2wd vs 4wd?

[phoang1988]

I've got a friend who is looking to get rid of his '99 4runner. Its a v4 2wd and i believe its rwd. Its got around 95k miles on it and hes trying to get 6k out of me for it.

I was wondering if i would really be limited by having just a v4 2wd on something as big as that. For the most part, its gonna be used for work/school driving. Im 17, turning 18 soon so i wont be using it for much off-roading.

I do like snowboarding so i will be going up to some snowy places once or twice a year. The place i go to sometimes requires chains on the camry i drive if its snowing and none of no snow is actually falling at the time. Am i going to be limited by having just a 2wd and a v4? I was hoping to get a 4wd v6 but i just havent seen any i like withing my price range. (under 110k miles and under 8k) i should probably add i live in southern CA and most 4runners i see around here are v4 and v6 2wds.


and yes, i DID search but came up with nothing except there was something with the rear-differentials that would limit me.

 

[Jay]

I've got a friend who is looking to get rid of his '99 4runner. Its a v4 2wd and i believe its rwd. Its got around 95k miles on it and hes trying to get 6k out of me for it.

I was wondering if i would really be limited by having just a v4 2wd on something as big as that. For the most part, its gonna be used for work/school driving. Im 17, turning 18 soon so i wont be using it for much off-roading.

I do like snowboarding so i will be going up to some snowy places once or twice a year. The place i go to sometimes requires chains on the camry i drive if its snowing and none of no snow is actually falling at the time. Am i going to be limited by having just a 2wd and a v4? I was hoping to get a 4wd v6 but i just havent seen any i like withing my price range. (under 110k miles and under 8k) i should probably add i live in southern CA and most 4runners i see around here are v4 and v6 2wds.


and yes, i DID search but came up with nothing except there was something with the rear-differentials that would limit me.

The 4 cylinders are not a V4, its an inline 4. Im sure its the 2.7lt.

 

[lee]

a 2wd 4runner will not act any better on snow than a 2wd rwd anything.

if you do get it, pick up some good snow tires.

 

[smccollamjr]

Your front-wheel drive Camry will probably do better in the snow than a rear-wheel drive 4-runner

 

[RunnerUp]

until he needs ground clearance, seriously though, i had a v6 2wd (99) and i wheeled the hell out of it, i put some cross terrain's on it and it went almost everywhere that my 4wd would go stock, just not as easily, or as slowly, remember that speed will clear you through alot, or bury you to your hood.....

 

[MDT4RNR]

I was wondering if i would really be limited by having just a v4 2wd on something as big as that. For the most part, its gonna be used for work/school driving. Im 17, turning 18 soon so i wont be using it for much off-roading.

I do like snowboarding so i will be going up to some snowy places once or twice a year. The place i go to sometimes requires chains on the camry i drive if its snowing and none of no snow is actually falling at the time. Am i going to be limited by having just a 2wd and a v4? I was hoping to get a 4wd v6 but i just havent seen any i like withing my price range. (under 110k miles and under 8k) i should probably add i live in southern CA and most 4runners i see around here are v4 and v6 2wds.

I think your buddy is giving you a good deal, I suggest you take the truck and have it inspected by a dealer and see what they come up with (engine, chassis, etc..) you may pay 6k but it may add up to more later.
Take also into consideration the price of tires and how many more miles you can squeeze out of the current ones. In my opinion all you need is a 2wd with good tires. I drive my 4runner V6 on 2wd al the time unless there is bad wheather (rarely).

Remember that gas prices are high and getting higher, so a v6 for a young person like you might hurt right in the wallet.

You can tackle most snow with 2wd. If you get stuck remember there will be many people on the road willing to pull you out.

Good luck.
Later

 

[phoang1988]

Re: Re: 2wd vs 4wd?

The 4 cylinders are not a V4, its an inline 4. Im sure its the 2.7lt.

My bad, its a I4; not a V4. whats the difference anyways? Its still 4 cyl engine but looks like it has a much bigger displacement than many V4s in sedans and coupes.

I think your buddy is giving you a good deal, I suggest you take the truck and have it inspected by a dealer and see what they come up with (engine, chassis, etc..) you may pay 6k but it may add up to more later.
Take also into consideration the price of tires and how many more miles you can squeeze out of the current ones. In my opinion all you need is a 2wd with good tires. I drive my 4runner V6 on 2wd al the time unless there is bad wheather (rarely).

Remember that gas prices are high and getting higher, so a v6 for a young person like you might hurt right in the wallet.

You can tackle most snow with 2wd. If you get stuck remember there will be many people on the road willing to pull you out.

Good luck.
Later

Thanks for those suggestions. I will definitely get it inspected before i buy it. Another question, is this truly a great deal? Hes told me usually this car would go for like 8k and its hard to find a '99 4runner under 100k miles in my area that i can afford.

Ive seen in some other threads people mention something about rear differentials. Can anyone elaborate more on this?

Oh! i also want to add that this is my senior year in HS. Next year i will be going to college and its very likely i will not be here in socal anymore. Im probably going to be moving up to the New England area and i will be taking whatever car i purchase now up there as well. Would this car be a smart choice for someone living up there. I heard it snows there during the winter. Ill probably be going to Boston to be exact.

 

[Jay]

Re: Re: Re: 2wd vs 4wd?

My bad, its a I4; not a V4. whats the difference anyways? Its still 4 cyl engine but looks like it has a much bigger displacement than many V4s in sedans and coupes.

An I4 for means that all the cyliders are in a line, like this 0-0-0-0.

While a V4 is like this:

0\/0
0\/0

2 cyliders on each side. Honestly, i havent ever seen a V4 in person, i dont know of any manufactuers that make a V4 in a truck.

 

[stromv]

Snowplows, my boy, snowplows. 4wd is kind of nice to have, but they do plow the roads up here pretty quickly. If it snows bad enough, no one goes anywhere, besides, 4wd won't keep you out of the ditch (everyone has 4 wheel braking, but sometimes that isn't enough), but it might get you out of the ditch. In any rate, knowing your limitations and good tires are what will keep you safe in snow.

 

[makakio]

Yeah BUT - if you're in CA, you've got to have 4WD with M+S rated tires or you're chaining up. It's the law. 2WD with snows doesn't cut it.

So you're going to have chain anyway when it comes to snow - even if the truck is perfectly capable of handling it. (I've driven my 4WD in 2WD mode in snow and it does just fine. Usually, I'm still in 2WD when I go through chain controls, because they're set up down low where it's still raining and they expect people to drive 20+miles on wet cement w/ chains before hitting any fluff!

If you want to save time or avoid chains, get an AWD or 4WD. If I were 17yo today, with gas prices *temporarily* settling back to $2.65/gal in CA and I wanted to be able to roam (as you put it 'mostly on the highway'), I'd be saving my cha-ching for an AWD Element (if cargo room is important), an A4 Avant (if handling, style, speed and comfort is important), or a Forrester (if you want a combo of those attributes in a bullet-proof, lowest-cost-of-ownership package). They may all be geeky, but I would think they'll do what you want as well as - if not better than - a 4-cyl, 2WD 4runner...

 

[grimpy]

Considering that you are in So Cal... it's going to be hard to find a nice conditioned 3.4L 4WD for anywhere close to that price... a 99+ 3.4L 4WD that is in good shape, not abused exterior/interior wise is still around $13-$15k right now.

Less than 10% of the 4Runners you see around here are 4wd's...

Just to give you a quick idea, out of about 445 3rd gens listed in this area for sale right now on autotrader, only 63 of them are 4wd's.

 

[pat161]

I think this truck would probably be fine for you, 2wd will have its limitations but for 99% of the time you'll be ok. The 2.7 is a great motor, very reliable and good on gas with plenty of power, IMO. I have a 2.7 4wd and I rarely use 4wd, only when there is actually snow covering the road, these trucks do well in 2wd. As for the V4/ I4, most cars are I4, in fact there is no V4 offered in a passenger car in the US now, motorcycles are another matter, Honda has a V4 bike. As for moving to Boston, who told you it snows a lot there? Maybe more than So Cal, but not that much, I live in Central MA where it snows more and it is still not that much. Now if you plan on going north a lot, VT, NH or ME then you will be dealing with some snow, around here we average about 60" yearly, less in Boston and east of 495, and when you move out here you'll know what that last part means.

 

[alotawatts]

The Pacific NW dealers WA, OR, ID did not ever stock 2WD 4Runners when I bought my SR5 in Jan/2001.
I did most of the purchase on the phone with a Redding CA dealer, took a train ride to Redding to close the deal and drove it home.
If I did more true off-roading I would have wanted a 4X.
2WD was less expensive to purchase and

Better Milage
Less maintenance
Less license/Insurance
Resale may be slower with a 2WD but I plan on driving it for a long time....