Keep hunting for a Contour or a Cougar if you don't need the extra doors - each with a V-6, of course. The 4 cylinder is not all that bad in these cars either. Its a bit dated, but produces some respectable power to move the car along. Generally more reliable, & its a non-interference engine, so broken timing belts won't grenade the whole motor like on the Japanese cars.
Don't forget about the Mystique. They usually come standard with leather & a few other nice extras.
The Mazda was a good thought too, but I'd do a little reliability research on it first. I'm familiar with the Rotary cars, not the sedans.
