These things are never an entirely logical decision, however I will never regret the decision to go for the 4x4 Sprinter over the 2WD.
I have both actually. Well the 2wd is the VW version.
The VW is more comfortable, does up to 40mpg and like for like was 40% of the purchase price (3 yrs old)
In % terms the amount of miles the Sprinter does off road is minuscule.
BUT, the amount of time we spend off road is significant.
However the most important factor is the experiences and memories we have. That is priceless and well worth the extra outlay and the compromises.
From an "investment" perspective that really is a smart investment!
From a financial perspective 2WD Sprinters are 2 a penny here, the depreciation is catastrophic. If you really want to shred money, get a Transit
by about 5 years old/150k miles they can be 50% cheaper than the equivilent Sprinter/Crafter or Ducato. Because people know they can't cope with miles or age.
4WD Sprinter deprecation is way less, (i can add and subtract before anyone talks about the initial outlay
)
In fact there's a distinct possibility that we could make a profit on ours, there is a "scene tax" over here.
I've taken 2wd vehicles to places others wouldn't attempt in a 4wd but to suggest a 2wd van can do what a 4x4 van can do is utter boll##ks