1997 Ford Taurus looking to buy this car

Hey there im looking at this 1997 sho taurus it has 167.000k in excellent shape for $1200 as is it runs fine no knocking or anything but needs an alternator, I was wondering what I can do so I can atleast drive it around the block to see how tranny shifts and whatnot, um is there anything else I should check on this car before I decide on purchasing without having to spend lots on tow trucks and whatnot?
2. Is the alternator hard to change on these cars it looks to me that u might have to take the front wheel off to get the alternator off off? Any help or advice would be much appreciated thanks so much for your time everyone