you WAnt a fun "all weather car" get a Subaru. they ALL come with all wheel drive and even the base ones are a hoot. most get close to or over 22/30mpg .
only time i got stuck was braking too late at the ski area parking lot and sliding into a snowbank.
other than that i have had 7500+ uneventful, snow miles between Seattle, WA and Santa Fe, NM on 5 different winter trips since 2002.
turned over 60k miles on mine this winter and have had no issues with it. only factory recall, was on one of the seat mounting bolts, the dealer replaced in 5 minutes. didn't even need an appointment.
loved the old 1981 sr5 Toyota 4x4 long-bed i used to have. sold it to my dad a few years ago. they get snow at 7000ft every winter. might be able to buy it back soon. they are thinking about buying my sisters Toyota 4x4 truck when she gets something new this year. so i would say use your truck for a commuter, it will last forever if it doesn't rust away out there. if parking is an issue just use the curb
