[Zzorro]

Thanks Blue62 for the feedback and willingness to help out. To answer your questions:
1: fuel filter was changed with the fuel pump (approx 2000 kms ago) Sorry, forgot to mention

2: the air filter is a k&n unit that came with the car. I cleaned it and made sure it's not over-oiled. I suspect the PO over-oiled it, which may be why the MAF went bad. Anyways, I plan on swapping that out for an OEM paper filter one of these days

3: 10-4 on fuel pressure test. Have looked up the procedure and will get to it eventually.

4: it's throttle by wire. Mine is a 98. There is a sensor for throttle angle. I should note that when I did the MAF I took the air intake piping apart and cleaned it all based on advice found here. There was def some oil build-up in and around the throttle body. AOS and maybe air filter over-oiled etc. Anyways. That got cleaned up.

5: yes, around the same RPM range is when is starts bogging. Above 3000 I would guess. Car revs up great, then on the way up starts stumbling and sputtering and complete loss of power. I pass the gas and it just bogs down and feels like it's gonna stall, but doesn't. Maybe it's ignition related? Or fuel supply problem.

6: I'll have to look up durametric logging. I know it's on there and easy enough to figure out. The issue for me is logging while the issue occurs. It happens so infrequently that it's always a surprise :-).

Speaking of electrical gremlins: my CLU is messed up. I got all kinds of them (windows don't roll down, but do the drop, FOB and alarm don't work etc.). I will get to fixing it eventually. But the car has always started and run etc. Considering the frequency of occurrence maybe the engine and CLU do a self diagnosis every so many KMs and because the cLU is messed up it forces the car to stop providing fuel or something (thinking the car is stolen?). Sounds far fetched to me, but maybe?