09-22-2004, 04:05 PM
If you aren't going to be searching for much more than stock power, ie, larger TB, different intake manifold, exhaust manifold, injectors, or yes, turbo shite, then it's probably a wash. The 3.2 does have a little extra torque, but it also gets a little hevier as side airbags and more such options come in. I'd still prefer the '95 because, like Ryan said, it's cheaper to diagnose problems. Of course, finding a nice '95 isn't as easy as finding a nice '96.
As far as the mis-shift problems go, I've never heard that the '96+ was any less prone to it. In fact, the part numbers for the transmission and engine mounts are the same. Even the shifter and bushings that mount it are the same. And the trans is the same. The crossmember that the tranny bushings sit on is a different PN, so it's the only thing I can find that MIGHT make a difference, but I think they're interchangeable and locate the trans in the same place, so I can't imagine it's different. Don't know what's available from the computer in the OBD2 cars, it probably does track over-revs, but if compression and such is good, which you'd probably do anyway if you were buying, I wouldn't worry about it.
As far as the mis-shift problems go, I've never heard that the '96+ was any less prone to it. In fact, the part numbers for the transmission and engine mounts are the same. Even the shifter and bushings that mount it are the same. And the trans is the same. The crossmember that the tranny bushings sit on is a different PN, so it's the only thing I can find that MIGHT make a difference, but I think they're interchangeable and locate the trans in the same place, so I can't imagine it's different. Don't know what's available from the computer in the OBD2 cars, it probably does track over-revs, but if compression and such is good, which you'd probably do anyway if you were buying, I wouldn't worry about it.