I found a red '99 5 spd SE for sale. The car has the usual dings and scratches for its age. The driver side leather is a little roughed up. The guy selling it says it needs a new coil pack. The car has 89K on it and he wants $5500. What price would I be looking for to replace the coil pack and are there any other things I should be cautious of? How difficult is it to replace a coil pack?

 

The 99s are notorious for having to replace coil packs. They are not difficult to replace, but I suspect if you replace one coil pack you may want to replace all six.
When were the spark plugs last replaced and what kind are in the engine? You should only use NGK - either OEM platinum plugs or V-power copper plugs.

I live in Canada and can't help you on price, someone else can steer you to the right place to buy them.

It seems to me that the $5,500 price is certainly fair. Perhaps the car is a little rougher than you make it out to be. Does the owner have a service history for the vehicle?

 

Damn, $5,500. is cheap for a 99 SE 5 speed. I have a 99 SE 5 speed with leather and ALL options with 98k on it and I paid $9,200. But the body and interior are completely flawless. Coil packs are nothing. I'd say buy it, if you can deal with the cosmetic flaws. Try to get more service history on it if you can. Good luck!