1- You have a small space. Most two stages tend to be bigger in my area. You could have a mobility problem. If the drive is steep, a two stage, which is probably self propelled, is still going to be hard to control going down and could slide going up.

2-Most of the two stages I’ve seen have steel augers. There is a potential for cutttng the asphalt. Most single stages have blades edged with rubber. They don’t completely scrape the surface but then it also doesn’t scape the surface. You can finish it off with a thin app of sodium chloride (rock salt) which, if properly applied, doesn’t damage seasoned asphalt.

3- When you use a two stage, you are usually throwing a lot of weight around. When I was doing commercial snow removal, we only used two stage blowers for long, straight walkways. We found the manuverability of a single stage more valuable than the weight and power of a two stage. If you have that small of an area to do, a second run during a 6" fall wouldn’t seem that big of a deal.

4- Although the money isn’t a main consideration, why overspend on something you are going to use about 6 to 8 times a year?

5- If you get a 2 stage blower, it’s going to a lot heavier in 20 yrs. And if someone with a build slighter than yours is going to use it, they would probably prefer the single stage.

In short, I’d get a single stage with a motor in the higher hp range to compensate for increased depth. (4.5 hp)

Both will do equally well in fluffy snow. However, if you get very wet snow, like the last storm, the one-stage machines cannot handle it. They clog with slush. So, get the bigger machine. They’re self-propelled, or at least yours should be for that slope.