97 Escort 2.0 SOHC starter replacement

[DrRadar]

I've got my son's 97 Escort (155k) in the garage for a laundry list of maintenance: replace broken timing belt and water pump, replace valve cover and intake manifold gaskets (it's leaking lots of oil), fuel filter (why did they put on the firewall?), etc. I'm looking at the original starter and wondering if I should preemptively replace it. No complaints with it currently, but with the intake manifold out, it's easy to get to now. If I gamble by not replacing it and it fails in a month, it looks like a bee-yotch to replace. Will the intake manifold have to come out again?

From those who have replaced a starter on a vehicle like this, is it as troublesome as it looks? What's your opinion on replacing it now?

I would probably go with an AC-Delco reman, although Pure Energy is marked as a favorite at RockAuto. Opinions on brands?