'97/'98 if possible (obviously late '98 is the new body style).

Depends what you want.  Power everything is pretty much standard.
Cruise control is nice.  Climate control nice but not essential.

Drive one - you'll like it.

I have a '96 with almost 100K miles, and it's as quiet and firm as the
day I got it.  Make sure the car has a metal prop water pump (instead
of the original plastic) and also that the one recall for the throttle
control has been done.  Other than that, suggest you get a 5-speed
instead of the automatic, as you will realize more torque.  Also, I
burn premium (recommended min fuel on an M44 engine is Plus-89, but
with a compression ratio of 10 to 1, this will help give you better
performance) and use Mobil1 15w-50 in it (the specs call for 15w-40.)
Good luck.