YOUR OPINION NEEDED!! 1998 SE Wagon 5-speed info

[Birdlover]

Hey there!
I am in a tight spot...I was recently offered what I think is a killer deal on a 98 se wagon. It is a 5-speed, 90K, clean clean clean and no leaks, taps, etc...seems quite sound. I drove it three times on all types of road and in the rain and bad weather...no probs, no check engine light, no hesitation, no leaks, smoke, etc...I have been being pressured by my guy to get off the 8 cylinders for daily driving and switch to a four cyl for everyday driving.
I orig had the seller at 3200, now at 2200. Now all of a sudden, my guy thinks I may be getting a can of worms due to my past luck with cars...you know, things going wrong and being an expense later on.
My tbird is my daily driver, never left me stranded, but you know how gas is these days and I can use the extra space.
My question....is this a good deal for this car, and have you all had luck as of this point with similar 5-speeds(escort, tracer, protege)?
How is the reliability?
My friend had a focus with the 2.0, newer than this car, and head gasket and all kinds of messed up stuff showed up down the road. Another friend had a 97 escort with a major tranny issue. I have rec'd mixed reviews on the 98 2.0 liter...I am well aware of tranny probs in these cars popping up(had two older ones) and that is why I am opting for a five speed.
Can you please help me out? Like I said, I got pressured into looking for a smaller car, deal with it, accept it, now it is my guy- the ford hater, who is questioning the escort reliability(when prior he said the tbird was botched...go figure honda owners!)...HELP!!

[Jet-Lee]

my 5-speed is good. Most problems I've noticed with the 3rd gens (i got a '99 LX) is related to fuel delivery (fuel pump/filter) or ignition system (plugs, wires, coil pack). As far as the tranny goes, I've had no problems, yet, nor have I heard of anything other than it might "stick" in gear, but that is cured by a transmission flush. every car is different. I'd take it, esp. if you're gonna keep your tbird.

[chevyn0va1]

I like my car for the mileage, reliabily no(my car has an inner deamon) Im a chevy guy but bought my escort for 2k with 75k miles when I got it.