Thought I'd post a quick update and a couple of questions for those kind enough to advise me on this on this acquisition a month or so ago.

She's running great; a real pleasure to drive. Still takes longer to turn over than I think it should, but only a couple of seconds longer and never fails to start up. Any ideas of things to check?

Maintenance so far; two oil changes in quick succession (500 miles apart). My indy put in ELF synthetic 0W-40 and advises that it can be left in for 7k miles. That surprises me; I'm used to changing oil every 3k.... opinions?

The tranny oil and filter were replaced without incident -pan was free of ominous debris and the transmission works smoothly. Question- I understand there is a set of needle bearings that are vulnerable to failure in the 722.6, later replaced by a more robust bushing. Mine, being a '97, is likely the earlier version. Anything I can do to prolong the life of these bearings? What impact on transmission life does starting in 2nd gear (setting "W") versus 1st gear ("S") have?

Replaced a set of amazingly worn spark plugs; I'm surprised she was running so well. Thankfully none were terribly seized.

Another final question; can ETA wear be reduced through use of the cruise control? Just a thought; so far, no ETA malfunction symptoms.

Thanks to this forum for great information!