bluemandan

I'm currently car shopping, and I test drove a 2006, five speed manual Fusion SE with the 2.3 L engine with about 118,xxx miles on it. I really liked the car, but I've never owned a Ford, let alone a Fusion. What sort of things should I look out for? What should I look into? Are there known issues with these cars? What should I keep my eyes/ears on if I test drive it again? I've read some concerning reports about transmission issues, but it seemed to be with the automatic transmissions more than the manual from the research I've done. Can anyone confirm this? What kind of life do people typically see out of these vehicles? I'm a little concerned about it being the first year of a new model, should I be? What kind of questions should I ask the dealer? What is fair price to pay for this car? I live in the St. Louis, MO metro-area. They have it listed at $6,970, which seems high to me. NADA suggests $6,425, KBB lists $5,861 Fair Deal Price, and Edmunds pegs it at $5,527 True Market Value, which averages out to $5,937. What do you all think? Try and talk the dealer down? Run, don't walk, away? Have a third party mechanic look at it? I asked for a CarFax, and was given an AutoCheck print out that had no service records other than safety inspections. Thanks in advance for any and all advice.