>The engine family I referred to is the one used in the Mustang

Yuck. They could've gotten the same power output and better fuel economy from a
3.0 litre motor. A twin-cam, multi-valve setup would've been nice too.

>The 60
>degree V-8 pretty much killed the SHO - along with its high price.

That car was pitiful. An overpriced P.O.S. as far as I'm concerned, not to
mention ugly and not particularly fast if memory serves me.

>There's a new duratec 3.5L V-6 coming out within a year.

I hadn't heard about that. I know that something based on the Futura concept
and built on the Mazda 6 platform is set to replace the Taurus and Sable. A 3.5
would be nice, if it's done right. But even the 3.0 in the 6 would be an
improvement over the current Taurus mill.

>If I coulda I woulda... 'course I tried to get into a used '00 S4, but
>the new '02 WRX fit so much better into my budget.

I came very near getting a 944 Turbo instead of my VW. But the high maintenance
and insurance costs put me off and the 968 would've been the same scenario with
a higher buy-in price. I thought the WRX was a great bang for the buck but I
thought the VW was more comfortable and already more than quick enough to get
me in trouble. I've been pondering buying a Grand National from a local guy
who's selling his, but I think it'd be a stretch and I fear the car would spend
most of the time in the garage thanks to gas, insurance and registration costs.