have a chance to pick up a 97 4x4 model with everything except leather and sunroof. car is clean 55k miles, owner claims new battery, oil change, and dealer changed valve due to a leak. I have no idea what he is taking about. anyway he is firm at $6800. Car has decent tires on it too about 80% left. how will these cars hold up down the road with some miles on them. Is there a FAQ with common problems that I should know about? what should i look out for when I go back for a test drive? I want a reliable SUV, how do these compare to explorers and Jeep grand cherokee and toyota 4 runner and pathfinder?

thanks for your help

 

$6800 is too much for a '97.

 

They are good reliable trucks that are generally priced much cheaper than Toyota's. 55k is very low mileage. Time to change the timing belt, water pump etc. It will cost about $600-800 at the dealer. Time for new spark plugs too which is about $200 at the dealer. The intake air plenum needs to be removed to change the spark plugs, so it is a bit of work. The rear cam plugs tend to leak oil on these engines. Simple fix. Maybe that is what the owner is talking about?