I have a "real" SE (he says, with tongue in cheek): '96, and if you know your stuff you need no further explanation.
For the rest of you:
The early SE had very few options. You could not get an ATX or a Zetec, and likewise, IIRC, you could not get a V-6 in the GL. Furthermore, the suspension was actually uprated from the LX, and 4-wheel discs were standard. (I think ABS was, too, but I'm not sure). The front seats were firmer, with bigger side bolsters, than anything else in the lineup. Anyway, for the first 2 years of production, all you had to say was "SE" and you implied a host of performance enhancements over the LX or GL. I don't really know much about the 97's, so I hope I'm not stepping on your toes.
I see more SVT's on the road than early SE's. When I do see one, I'm compelled to honk and wave, much to the confusion and consternation of the other driver, who seems to have no idea why I would be so excited.
I do, in some ways, feel as if I'm part of a special group of people, who recognized early on the greatness of this car, long before the boy-racer bodywork and "freshened" lamps. On the other hand, we are all part of the CEG, and the SVT is a great car, greater in many ways than the SE, but maybe not as good in a few others. So what? Most of what I've learned has come from SVT owners who, already having the performance advantage, roll up their sleeves and go looking for more.
If you have a question specific to the early SE, you'd do well to search the new registry to find out who has them. There you would also find that the founder and big chief of this fabulous website and forum also drives an early SE.
