Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and take what comes.
Being in Houston nothing is near enough to go check out. I used a transport company to get both of my trucks. If you by a truck and something is wrong then you post about it. But if the truck starts right up and drives like a gem you have nothing to post. If you post about how great your truck is you look silly. It is like the news only reports the bad stuff.
I would not recomend expecting to drive it home. Tires dry rot, there might be problems that are too much for an auto parts store parking lot. So either go with a trailer or hire a transport company. I have one in Oklahoma that was reasonable. The owner's son lives near Houston so he he is happy to drive down here. I used him for a truck from OK and one from MO. When I figured fuel cost round trip it was only a little more to ship it and i did not have to worry.