Go to Taylor Ford or one of the neighbouring dealers and see if they have some old time mechanics that have been there since the 80’s - 90’s.
Especially if they are car guys.
They worked on so many of those cars in the day, they are great source of information.
If they do, get your inspection done there, by that guy.
One thing I know is the AOD automatic transmission in those cars was a weak point.
Prone to issues, such as losing the top gear, or O/D.
I would avoid that for sure.
If manual, then you’re in the game.
A tech like I describe above, could explain why.