My father in law had a 99 v6, after replacing the engine and two trannies, he gave it to my brother in law, who hasn't had a problem since!!! Not horribly durable, the 3.8 cylinder is a major piece of junk and has been discontinued in most of Ford's line up.

'03 Protege 5 MTX '02 Mazda Protege LX MTX former owner of: 96 Contour GL 2.5 ATX