[Giller]

The mechanic is selling it? Why does it have a brand new bearing? Did he find metal? That metal could be all through it.

I would strongly suggest before buying any older car - get an independent opinion. A PPI is especially important when it comes to these cars. They can be very costly to maintain if you aren't wrenching it yourself.

If you have the flexibility for the upkeep costs, the PPI is good and it's the colour combo you like, grab it!

I had a base 02 and never felt it lacked power and have heard many say the same about the 2.5L

There's really no right or wrong answer when you are buying a 15+ year old car. You can do all the spreadsheets and analysis you want - there will still be a huge amount of luck involved.

Good luck!