I got stuck twice in 20 years of 2wd towing. Both times were in muddy parking lots at off road motorcycle races, both times I was tugged out no problem by someone nearby (most 4x4 owners are more than happy to pull people out, I've found). 4x4 may have helped me, but I've seen 4x4's get stuck too. And they are a lot harder to pull out because they tend to get stuck further in lol.
The upside of buying a used 2x4 Excursion is that not many people want them, so the resale upside of the 4x4 plays in your favor.