trying to decide what i need to get
 

I live in northern nevada and would primarily be using this quad on mountain trails and sand at the lakes. i don't imagine i'd get stuck in too much mud, but i was wondering what peoples opinions are on what model i would need. is a 2wd or a 4wd in my future? sorry for the broad question, but i am very new to this.

it all depends on money .. how much do you have or want to spend lol.

everyone is going to give you a different opinion, because they like what they ride. since you are going to be in the rocks, and hills in hot nevada i would say a yz450 or a yamaha 700 raptor as much as i hate 4strokes you will need the 4 rev torque of a 4 stroke for the rocks and such, and either one of those will be very sand dune savvy. i picked yamaha because thats what i like.... and have had very good luck with them. that is the part where opinions come into play.

it depends on what you do more.if your in the sand more a sport quad would be better but if your on the mountin more then a utility quad would be better. for sand a raptor is nice and on rocks and mountain a small utility atv. a kodiak 450 would be better then a 700 grizzly because it wont tip as easily on rocks. if you ride on both beach and mountain equaly i would get a sport utility like a 450 wolverine or a polaris scrambler 500.

Welcome! You first need to let us know what you are looking for in a bike (Speed, 4x4, comfort, EFI., ect,ect) This will help us help you ;)

As has been said, if you're going to be doing low speed rock crawling and think you're going to be in mud get a 4x4. If it's pretty clean trails where you aren't going to be doing crawling and soft sand go with a pure sport model. Bigger guys like the Raptor 700. Smaller guys do well on the 450s. I like the Renegade 500 because it is a pretty good mix of both utility and sport machine in one. Sporty but with 4wd capabilities when the going gets rough or deep. The Yamaha Wolverine 450 and Polaris Scrambler 500 are good machines too. The Renegade has EFI and independent rear suspension to soak up the bumps more. Just some thoughts. There are so many good quads out there it's tough to pick these days.