I agree with you. Most mechanics/shops will use a 2 post lift, it's much easier.

Lifts from Rotary come in a number of configurations and are designed for a wide number of vehicles, all the way up to huge buses.

The 4 post I use requires that I put jacks on the jack trays (they go between the drive on ramps) to lift the car for brakes/suspension work. You still have the ramps in the way a to get to the brakes, it's not optimal but it works well, just requires the extra step to jack the car up. You can use bottle jacks on the jack trays but I am going to upgrade an invest in air jacks in the spring/summer when I can work out there. I don't have a heater yet.

I wanted the 4 post over 2 post because the lift is primarly used for storage and oil changes. If I was going to do lots of work on my cars, I'd go 2 post for sure.