What vehicle is best for me?

I just moved to the country basically, and live off of a dirt road that I heard sometimes doesn't get paved right away in the winter (I'm in Upstate New York) so I was wondering what kind of vehicle should I buy? My current car isn't going to make it so I HAVE to change it. I'm thinking about it now because my car is probably going to die soon anyway sooooo...can you give me suggestions as to which new/ newer vehicle I should look into? 4x4's, AWD's??? Please help! Best answer 10 pts!