Hi all. There is a 2002 3.0L stick sport package with 110,000 miles for sale a few hour away from me and I know that is a fairly rare package. I currently drive a 3.0L swapped Ford Contour SVT....and I know the engine is same for the most part. I also owned a 2.5L CSVT and a 2.5L Contour SE.

I have been looking around on this site for common problems to look out for. I asked the dealer what problems it has before I went to go see it since it is so far away. He said the there was an issue with a sensor for the traction control (I would have to go back and see exactly what sensor), and it leaks a little bit of oil but he can't tell from where. If it is the oil pan or valve covers I can do that myself. I looked around for a little while on here for reliability of some things and it seems to always be the transfer case going. How can I tell if it is going or not...and is there a way to check the clutch to see if it is slipping? I know on my contour you can get up to around 15 mph in 1st then shift to 5th and hammer it...if the rpms go up faster than the speed it is slipping. Same thing on these cars since they are basically the same....besides tranny being completly different. lol