trekkar wrote:I'd like it to be reliable
Get a toyota.... or become your own mechanic, sorry to be blunt, but no vehicle over 30 years can be called reliable. For my own stories: not too many stories of stranded on the side of the highway, that I did not manage to fix within an hour... or the tow truck was nearby to bring me home.
-fan clutch separated sending fan into radiator... at 1 am, 60miles from base.... tow truck
-ammeter quits... computer tech support guy fixed it next morning in 5 min - this was way before internet and forums-
-dead battery... AAA call for a jump
-bad spark plugs ... tow truck
-bad MSD module -road side fix
-carburetor issues, aka loose inlet needle -road side fix-
-fried ignition, engine dies in front of garage after 800 miles - garage fix
- dying fuel pump , happened a few times usually on urban freeway, no choice ... tow truck
It is not if it will breakdown, but WHEN...
Otherwise, which purpose will the vehicle be used for, should be your guide, most of us are into off roading or wheeling into not accessible location, so, slight body damage is OK, borderline interior is acceptable
Seats... , those GW seats are not comfortable, I swapped some nissan pathfinder seats a few years ago, much better, in fact I got lucky this spring and found a pristine GW at the JY, so I bought the seats, installed the driver's seat, not good... the pathfinder seat will go back...
Engine wise, yes this is not a torque monster, especially with the 2.72 gearing... if you ever tried a 3.54, this is a must...
Knowing the electrical system is probably your best knowledge the day it does not fire, or crank... so a simple carb and coil system is an easy system to troubleshoot
As for budget, seat are $55 at the JY, headliner was a fire sale, $10 for enough material to do 5 headliners, paint is the epoxy marine paint, and a couple of foam rollers... $60, or you can get the matching paint at $20 a can...
Cheers
Merry Xmas