I picked up a 97 Exr v6 today with 136 km on it. The tach and speedo are not working. My friend told me it could be the ignition coil or something which is a common thing for these cars? Is he right in blaming the ignition coil or is it something else?

 

The tachometer signal comes from the coil in those first couple years of V-6 cars.

But... that doesn't explain the speedometer. I'd check for loose wiring connections behind the cluster, since that's about the only thing that speed & tach have in common.

Speedometer signal comes from the VSS which is on the transmission. Maybe(?) it's just a coincidence to get wiring problems on both those separate items?