My truck costs not too much. I give it a hiding and for a '93 its bloody good. The V6 engine is a bit tired and on big hills its struggles, but reality is for a fishing truck its awesome. Apart from the petrol costs, which you accept when you buy a 4x4, it costs the usual rego, warrant and service. I only service it once a year being a petrol so it only needs it every 15000km.

If you need grunt go for something more modern. If you intend to beat it up buy something older.

Things to look our for are panel rust. Check the bottom of the doors inside, around the windows - especially the front and rear windscreen and rear window panels. Any bubbles bigger than 20c, or anything at all around the windscreens, don't touch it. Look for inconsistencies in the panels too from different angles to see if its been bogged. And finally check underneath to see what the underside looks like. Rust is fine under there, as long as its not dark in colour or running along a seam line. Also check the sway bar mounts. They are a warrantable item and while it may seem not a big deal, broken mounts will affect your body roll big time.

Also check the tyres. If the tyres are old then they may need replacing. Factor that into your cost. A decent set of AT's will set you back $900-$1100. Take it for a test drive. Listen for pops, misses, whines in the engine and how it handles.

Sounds like a lot, but in reality its a 2 minute check.