As far as the 722.6, remember that the new-for-'97 5th gear contributes to the great highway mileage you can get in these cars. My trans seems to have sorted itself out (in part thanks to Starmark electronic fixes and a fluid change) and the 722.6 is a solid and smooth transmission, unless you do get a defective one. Another aspect of the 4cyl to consider is that it is the easiest on the trans, the 722.6 having been designed for and installed in much more torquey V12 models. So, as long as you have records and change the fluid by 60k if it hasn't been done, you should be ok. A record of electronic fixes or total replacement is a bonus too