Unfortunately, there just aren’t many true wagons made, awd or fwd, but plenty of small crossovers/suvs, and they’re almost all (Subarus excepted) sold in both fwd and awd variants. So you can still have a perfectly useful CR-V in fwd form. It will be slightly more efficient and have slightly less to break. I’m not convinced owners of awd crossovers treat them worse than owners of fwd ones, but they probably don’t treat them any better, either. In mild parts of the country (like where I live) the fwd versions are far more common. If you live in Bend, OR, as your name suggests, you may see more awd versions. Pretty country up there.
What many don’t quite get, because it has not been out long enough, is that traction control on fwd cars makes them much better in slippery going, especially on hills, then they used to be. I am surprised that the feature is not mentioned more. Your $10 k limit “may” prevent you from finding such a vehicle, but looking for that feature in an older RAV with 2wd would be helpful. CRVs DID NOT have the feature till recently but all Toyota SUVs, even in 2 wd form had the feature since 2005.
You should be able to find a RAV for under $10 k in 2wd form since then.
My 04 4 Runner has it and when I leave it in 2wd, it still has significantly better traction then most cars with 2wd without it. Of course, like ALL electronic traction aids, they work best with winter tires or tires designed for the conditions you’re likely to encounter. You can’t improve traction electronically much on vehicles with poor winter tire traction. It’s not a miracle solution.
I still recomend avoiding Awd cars under $10k with high mileage, regardless of brand but especially most European models.