I recently went through this buying process, so I' ll tell you what I found out. There are many different reasons why some people get rid of their H1 shortly after purchasing. Most people that do not educate themselves prior to purchasing this truck, are expecting something else than what it really is. These trucks require a lot of preventive maintenance, if performed properly, you will have very few problems, depending on your driving habits. High mileage trucks properly maintained will last you a long time, you just have to make sure that was the case. Research through this and other forums and you will find some known common problems with these trucks. Some people purchase these trucks, not knowing about these problems and sell the truck when the problem arises. One of the problems is the engine block cracking and having to replace the entire engine. This can just start as what can be perceived as an anti freeze leak. Another problem that can pop up or exist when you purchase the truck is what is called the vampire, which is caused by the cooling loop breaking inside the transfer case and sucking the transmission fluid out of the tranny. This can be viewed as a simple transmission leak or not shifting properly, if not educated about what to look for. These truck can probably be driven as a daily driver but be prepared to replace tires more often and doing the maintenance more often on top of unexpected repairs. I' am not a mechanic but I do most of the work myself. Be prepared to pay $$ someone to work on these trucks. There are some few people that work on these trucks, some of them are members of these forums. I over educated myself and started to think that there were things wrong with the trucks that I was looking at because I did not want to dump a large amount of money into a truck that would need expensive repairs. Some people may over look what appears to be minor rust issues until they realize that the entire top of the truck needs to come off. This is not a Jeep, the top is not easy to take off and it is quite heavy. So to summarize my response, I think a lot of people may not keep these trucks long because they do not educate themselves prior to purchasing. I was fortunate enough to find a 02 wagon with 32000 and no problems. In the past month, I have changed all the fluids in the truck just in case. Good luck with you hunt.
