You're going to love that rig. It's very comfortable and even rigs that have lockers, duel transfer cases and are armored up the whazoo, still retain very good on-road driving charactoristics.
My two rigs never had any issues with regards to any major systems (engine, tranny, tcase, drivelines, cooling, etc) and simply required a good baseline of maintenence and lubrication
These rigs are a bit on the flimsy side as far as safety goes, so I personally am a big proponent of a so-called "family cage" that ties into the rear factory roll bar, in case of a flop or accident.
One common mod I've seen a lot of happiness/contentment with, is removing the heavy fibreglass removable top and heavy roll-up rear tailgate in favor of a Can-back soft top with, or without windows. The sides can be rolled up for nice days, and can be battened down for waterproofing during rainy days.
The tailgate gets removed, and replaced with one from a 2nd gen pickup from the same year/range. (or you can just perminantly roll down the glass on the stock setup.)
Canback tops aren't cheap, but you'll be getting a solid product, and you'll definitely feel the added pep that the motor gets from hundreds of pounds being removed.
That being said, other than being heavy, the top itself is a very good unit if you're concerned with wet/weather and coldproofing. I spent 3 winters in northern california driving up to the Lake tahoe area full of passengers, snowboards and gear, and I never had any issue with water or not enough heat for the rear seat.
Is this rig a bit slow? yes. You'll be doing 50-55 up big hills in 3rd gear. But so what? You'll be comfortable, and getting mid 20's as far as mpg's go while doing it.
Cheers and great choice.
