I had a '98 Sonoma that I used hard. In 120k miles, I did replace the tie rods and pitman arm once. Never touched the ball joints, but I actually greased them, which is something most people don't do. If you hear squeaking from the front on an S10, it's the ball joints, and they've likely never been greased...
As for push button 4wd, there is no cable kit to replace it. There may be for the front axle disconnect, but that's almost never an issue anyway. I would recommend USING the 4wd as often as possible as being the best preventative maintenance for the 4wd system. Not using it allows the grease on the wiper contacts of the actuator motor to gum up, and it'll let you down when you finally do try to use it. I cycled my truck 2wd to 4wd at least a couple times a week, and into low range at least once a month, or whenever I hauled my boat in an out of the water in the summer. You don't have to drive for any distance in 4wd, just push 4wd when you're going straight, and after it completes the shift, go back to 2wd. You can do this anywhere, anytime. Never had an issue with push button 4wd not working in 8 years of Michigan driving.
The S10 platform was really solid. It does have a lower frame than some other SUV's of the time, but with a mild lift and some 30" tires, it'll go lots of places, especially if you have the G80 option for rear locking diff. (Unlikely, but you can check the glove box to see...) I'd find some rear shackles for a ~1" lift, and then crank the front bars for not more than 1" of lift and go. If you crank farther, the ride does degrade as you lose droop travel, and you will see accelerated wear on the steering parts.
Enjoy!!
