You can still have plenty of fun with a 3.8 with a 5-speed, especially if it's a newer one with the 200hp, instead of the measly 145-150hp. One thing this car has that the Tour lacks is torque.
My sister recently sold her 94 3.8 5-speed.. 9 years, 120K miles, and still running strong. In all that time, the only things that had to be replaced were tires, brakes, a clutch, and the radiator. I had more than that go wrong with my Contour in less than 4 years.
