Thinking about buying Explorer Sport

Hey all. Looking for some input from this Explorer forum. Thinking about picking up an 2000 or so Explorer Sport for my 16 year old as a first car. Couple of questions:

What is avg. gas mileage for the 5 speed maunal tranny?
Can you get a manual tranny and also 4 wheel drive?
What are the major issues to look for when shopping for one?

Thanks for your help!!!