Helloooo! I need some help

It's been a long time coming and the wait is finally over for me....I'm finally making the move to own my first 4runner! Here's a little backstory of my car history...

I'm in the SoCal area and go the desert very often. I've been driving a Mazda 3 and have taken it off roading everywhere I go
It's my first car(I've had it since high school) and I sure as hell beat the hell out of it! Never really took good care of it so now I'm dealing with all the repercussions of that. Oh well, lesson learned! For my next car I'll make sure to pay more attention, and take better care of it. No more neglecting.

I plan on getting a used 4th gen. 4runner.
After hours & hours of researching and reading(thank god for this forum) I would ideally like to get myself a 4runner with a V8 and obviously 4x4...

Unfortunately I haven't found any 4runners in my price range in my area. So now I've been searching in Utah, mostly SLC area and have found many affordable options that look very promising. Another luxury for me is my uncle lives in SLC. He's owned a 4runner so I'll be making sure to tag him along.

One thing that has me concerned about purchasing a car from that area though is the issue of rusting.
From my research it seems like Utah isn't part of "the salt belt" but it seems like 4th gen 4runners have had the issue of rusting easily? I don't know much but any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

Any 4th gen 4runner owners from the Utah area out here? If so, what has your experience been with this whole rusting issue? Does anyone NOT recommend me buying a used car from this area?

Sorry if I sound like a rookie! I'm just trying to make the right decision! Just because it maybe cheaper to purchase a car in another state doesn't mean it'll be worth it if this is a main concern. I want to make sure my trip to Utah will be worth it.