I've lived in New York State in the Mohawk Valley(snow belt) and always had 2wd trucks up there and never needed 4wd. Always had some weight in the back during winter and never... I repeat never had issues in the rain... Maybe because I kept decent tires on them.
A Dakota for light towing would be a good platform. They don't keep their value as much as the full size trucks, and depending on whether you went V6 or V8 you would end up getting better MPG on the around town runs and still be able to tow a popup or small trailer. My Dakota was an older 3.9 V6 and I got 22 HWY out of it and could tow up to 5000 pounds.
My new one is an F-150 5.0. I also get 22 HWY with the new Ford, but I get worse MPG around town with it as compared to the 13 year old Dakota.
The reality is, that in your price range, you can't afford a brand new full size truck that will give you the latest and more efficient engines, and the second reality is that those new engines get crappier MPG around town when compared against the likes of a Dakota, or even a Ranger.
I spent a winter in Kentucky back in 2006/2007. You don't need 4wd.
A Dakota for light towing would be a good platform. They don't keep their value as much as the full size trucks, and depending on whether you went V6 or V8 you would end up getting better MPG on the around town runs and still be able to tow a popup or small trailer. My Dakota was an older 3.9 V6 and I got 22 HWY out of it and could tow up to 5000 pounds.
My new one is an F-150 5.0. I also get 22 HWY with the new Ford, but I get worse MPG around town with it as compared to the 13 year old Dakota.
The reality is, that in your price range, you can't afford a brand new full size truck that will give you the latest and more efficient engines, and the second reality is that those new engines get crappier MPG around town when compared against the likes of a Dakota, or even a Ranger.
I spent a winter in Kentucky back in 2006/2007. You don't need 4wd.
