Plenty of them in service out here in the Pacific Northwest and prices have been quite reasonable as of late.
Although given the weather conditions we're having out here this week, Troopers might be in high demand! Getting plenty of use of of my 3.4 LS that's for sure!
I expect lots of them were sold but many have met their demise by rusting away in the Salt Belt. Plenty of rust-free rigs out here.
You might check out
www.craigslist.org as Oodles of free classifieds are posted across the country every day. You'll probably find a greater cross-section of vehicles on the Craigslist than from most other sites.
There's quite a few listed on the Seattle and Portland 'Lists right now, I just don't have room for any more! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />
Don't know of a Buyer's FAQ for them but there's plenty of info here, use the forum's Search feature.
Common problem areas to look for on the V6 models: oil leaks from distributor O-ring and valve covers (cheap fixes); head gaskets (easier to repair than the 4-cyl's); broken exhaust manifold bolts (my old one had quite a few and never leaked) leaky intake manifolds and coolant in the oil (causes bearing issues).
V6 parts are considerably cheaper overall compared to the ITEC-4 and there's the option of repowering with a larger motor (3.1 or 3.4).
Considering these rigs are getting on in years, it's likely you'll encounter some with dead 2.8's for Dirt Cheap and if you're mechanically inclined, the engine swap gives you a ton of performance for a budget price.
Far as the rest of the rig goes, pretty much a No-Brainer (what you see is what you get); if it's not too rusty, drives good, stops good, tranny shifts, 4WD works, you've probably found a keeper. One that hasn't been beat will be fairly tight-driving; if you're looking at rigs with 160K and up be wary of worn ball joints and other suspension parts which will show up via poor handling and/or pulling to the side under hard braking.
Anyway, HTH and Happy Hunting.........ed
