Duraflex will withstand bumps and fiberglass won't. Once you buy the body kit, you will have to pay for paint and installation. That will set you back at least $1,500. Do you really want to spend $1,500 on car worth $1,000?
Not bad on gas. 25 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. Keep the tires aired up, tuned it up, new air filter and drive conservatively. No jack rabbit starts! Driving habit is the number one way to save gas.
An S-10 built after January 2000. Anything before that I would pass on. The Ford and Mazda, according to my sources, were built on the same assembly line. The maintenance items on the S-10 cost less, than the other two. Take that into consideration before you buy one.