Is a 4-wheel drive car or truck mandatory for Alaska?
That depends. Personally, I would highly recommend a 4-wheel drive vehicle for most parts of Alaska. The 4-wheel drive is currently broken on my car and I can’t afford to get it fixed. Because of that, I have to take the bus a lot during the winter because the roads are too dangerous without it. Now, if you get special snow tires and feel comfortable driving in icy, snowy conditions, then you’ll probably be OK. Subarus and Honda CRVs (and similar) are very popular, as are SUVs. Manual transmission vehicles are also a lot more desirable here so it can be harder to find a used automatic vehicle in Juneau, though Anchorage has lots of car dealerships so you won’t have to worry about that there. My friend who just moved to Juneau is having a hard time finding a used automatic transmission 4-wheel drive vehicle here in Juneau. She had a car accident her first week in Juneau and swears that the roads here are much worse than on the East Coast. It’s probably true that snow removal, sanding, e
