You also risk buying someone's idea of what a cool car is. As you aren't really chasing a car for much 4WDing, most of the "good value" mods like lockers or gears aren't really significant to you. That's really going to leave lots of mods that are a minefield - poorly installed electrical stuff, cheap driving lights, and lift springs will be the most common parts. Sierras are cheap cars and people seem to rarely spend much time or money on them. That's good because they're cheap, but it can also mean you'll have to rework stuff like wiring because people will rarely pay for an install, and sometimes won't even pay for the right bits to install something properly. (Think scotch locks and electrical tape, tek screws etc.)
I'm not sure if I'd chase a vitara in your budget. Cheap ones are getting pretty long in the tooth now, and apart from rough 5 doors, I don't think you'll be able to find a clean EFI car for that money, and most of the carby cars I see now are rubbish. You need to buy well - a rough car is going to cost you far more that what you paid for it per year to keep it running reliably.
The amateur's list is pretty good. You definitely want everything to work first off. Don't be fobbed off with "it's an easy fix I just haven't got around to it" - that's not a good sign of a cared for car, and apart from that, you might not know if it's an easy fix or not.
If you are going to drive a car, make sure it is dead cold when you drive it. if the car is already warm, be suspicious it's had to start, smoky or has a dead battery.
It's easy to buy a suzuki that hasn't been offroad, so if the owner says things like "it's awesome in the bush" I'd be very suspicious. Close to standard cars, especially with stock gearing and larger tyres, are likely to have been given a pretty hard time if they've been offroad. If the owner mentions offroad use, check the car has diff breathers. if it hasn't had them fitted, I'd mostly stay away, because diff rebuilds might be just around the corner. If a car has had breathers fitted but looks clean and well cared for, then the odds are it's had a careful owner.
Steve.
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A zook is seriously the most fun you can have with four wheels 