Firebird or explorer and snow?

I am buying a new used car. I am considering either an explorer sport or firebird. I live in pa near phily. I live in the country not in a city. Snow can get real bad here during 4 months out of the year. Would the 4wd of the explorer be worth getting for the few storms we get over those months. I have a trailblazer that just died on me and got pretty heavy use out of it's 4wd this past winter. My family says that 4x4's don't make a real difference unless you are already stuck. Would snowtires on a firebird get me through a bad pa winter? I do know ground clearence is also a factor. Just as a side note. My work did not close during a declared state of emergency and I was expected to still come in so I would quite likely have to drive even on unplowed roads.