Yup, what they said. If you can get an Alpha with the V8 you won't regret it the gas mileage difference is minimal and even in bone stock form these are heavy beasts. The more power you can get the better. Look through the threads on this forum. There are more than a handful with pictures to show you where the control buttons are if it has the adventure package with the locking diffs. 08' and up have a cast iron front diff which is a VERY good thing. Look at the vehicles car fax. You want to know if it's been owned in the north-northeast. Lost of rust in the underbody will also clue you in to that as they use stuff during the winter months that is corrosive. Get the dealer to put it up in a lift. With the skid plates off you can get a good eye on all the seals to check for leakage. Look at your axle seals. Also peruse the forum for pictures of a worn out front crossmember bushing. We have a vendor on here who sells replacement cross members on here with upgraded bushings. Familiarize yourself with how the 4x4 controls work and test them out on the test drive. Check for hard shifting on the transmission. As stated above, be prepared to swap all fluids aka front and rear diffs, transfer case, transmission, motor oil, radiator, etc. peruse the forum for failed radiators so you know what to look for. This is a weak area and the transmission cooler is internal on the radiator. The radiator takes dexcool and if the radiator fails it has a nasty habit of cracking and mixing the dexcool with the tranny fluid and killing both the motor and transmission. Check the sunroof for leaks and clogged drains. Be prepared to swap out your battery cable terminals. These are a source of a lot of electrical gremlins. Check the front drive line boot and make sure it's not torn. Check for sagging rear leaf springs. Most of these things are general wear and tear items. They are things you'll more than likely be faced with over the life of the vehicle. If previous owners wheeled it they are more likely. Check and see if it has OEM wheels, if so, what tire size? Has the front end been leveled? If so, does it ha e extended shocks and bump stops? That's all I can think of. Happy hunting.
