I conned my neighbor into driving 400 miles with me the day after Christmas to check out a Gen 1. Spent 10 minutes looking at it on a rack before the test drive. The interior was spotless, there was very minimal rust underneath and no evidence of the truck being hammered on. The shocks were original so I knew they needed to be replaced (but I also knew there's a lot of options with Raptor shocks).... so I bought it and we drove back home. The only major issue I discovered after sending engine, transmission and rear diff oil to Blackstone Laboratories was lots of metal in the trans fluid.
Long-distance purchases of a used Raptor are risky because of the things you cannot test at a dealership. But a Gen 1 Raptor holds it's KBB value far better than any other pickup truck in America. If you're in it for the long haul, keep it maintained, and don't do any crazy mods there will ALWAYS be buyers looking for one when you want to sell it.