Wife and I are looking for a different car for her, comparing the usual suspects, Accord, Saturn etc, Anyone have good/bad news about the Contour? Wish the Contour Enthusiast Website was as well put together as this one. Thanks for any info

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00 supercab, 5.4,4x4, stay up too late on this site!

 

My wife had a '95. It was a good car and she put a TON of miles on it before trading it for the Expedition.

Check www.edmunds.com for info/pricing and the comments of current owners.

 

My wife drives a 96 SE 5-speed. It was mine before we bought the truck. Great car, the 5-speed and the V6 has plenty of power. 66,000 miles and no problems. The only bad thing I can say is 2000 is the last year for them and half way through 2001 will be the end of the SVT Contour. A friend of mine has an SVT - K&N, Superchip, custom 2.5" cat back exhaust and a couple of other minor mods. It has run 14.6 in the 1/4 mile.

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99 F150 XLT Silver 2WD S/C 4.2 5-speed, Pioneer DEH P4000, Superchip, Flowmaster muffler // Rear door switch guards - check them out at http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/show/5031

 

I think I am the only person who has had a major engine problem with a Contour V6. I have checked all around and nobody had this same problem.

My wife had a '96 Contour SE V6 with leather, sunroof, etc. Last July (6 months out of warranty) the car died with only 31,000 miles on it. Come to find out that the timing "slipped" (Ford's words) and the engine was ruined. My wife was sitting in traffic when this happened. There were bent valves and ruined pistons. After a new engine and about $3700 out of my pocket (Ford would only cover $1000) and having the car for almost a month I will never recommend this vehicle to anybody. The day it came out of the shop I drove it to Honda and traded it on a new Accord.

I am sure ours was just a bad apple but for a car that is supposed to go 100,000 miles without a tune-up we were not too pleased. I called Ford HQ and they said "Why didn't you get the extended warranty?". Way to stand behind your products!

I love my truck but I will hesitate before even thinking about buying a car from them again.

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'98 F-150 XLT SuperCab Flareside, Auto, 4.6L, 4X2, 3.55 LS, 6-CD changer, Moonlight Blue with tan interior, Captains Chairs

Mods[*]Window tint[*]Extang Classic Platinum Tonno[*]Lund Interceptor bug deflector[*]Wizard Superwhite Bulbs[*]Pendaliner bedliner[*]Expedition center console
http://www.geocities.com/scmc75/f150/




[This message has been edited by BlueFlareside (edited 03-22-2000).]

 

Jumpn,
My fiance has a 96 Contour that we got her back in October. great car, and a great size. With her being 5'11" and me 6'3", we wanted something with a larger back seat; this was the only one that was big enough without moving to a large sedan. The power is okay, although she has the zetec with the auto, so it is a little weak (used, what are ya gonna do) so it will hunt for gears in the moutains. Other than that, we both really like the car. Drove it 14 hours right after we got it, and it was comfortable the whole time.

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2000 F150 Black XLT "Sport", SC, SB, 4.2L, 5 Speed, 3.55LS, factory soft tonneau, keyless entry, factory fog lights
Mods - JVC CD Player w/ Infinity and JBL Speakers, Permatech Spray in Bedliner
Coming Soon - Leveling Kit, Step Bars, Bug Guard, K&N, etc, etc...

 

My wife has had her 96 Contour V6 for four years now. She got it loaded, and for the most part, she still loves it. We have not had a single engine problem so far (knock on wood). It has however, had a lot of small pain in the butt issues. It has been recalled at least three times for things that weren't even a problem for us: New exhaust manifold, throttle cable, gas door lid adjustment, etc. Intermittantly this past winter, it would make this crazy whine, then the Overdrive light would flash on and off, the airbag light would do the same thing, the RPM's would fluctuate, and her radio would reset to 12:00. All would correct itself if you turned off the car, then re-started it. We thought it was haunted. One day, I decided to reset the computer by disconnecting the battery and re-connecting it after a while. So far, all the Poltergeists are gone.

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2000 XLT Black Sport, Flareside, 2WD, Ext. Cab, 5.4L Auto. Other factory options: 3.55 LS, Class III tow, 6-way Captains chairs w/CD changer, Remote entry , and Slider window.
Mods: Undercoat, window tint, headlight & tail light covers, removed "Sport" decals, upgraded Triton tailgate emblem, Linex spray-in bedliner, an ARE LSII lid, recessed Blazer reflectors below the bottom tailgate edge (Thanks Captain),and a Flowmaster cat-back exhaust kit.
Wish list: K&N FIPK, Belltech 3/4 drop, Belltech or Helwig sway bars, and a front bumper cover with lights.
Check out more pics at: http://home.columbus.rr.com/selva1/f150.html




[This message has been edited by selva1 (edited 03-22-2000).]

 

Jumpn,

I forgot one thing. The resale value of the Contour is horrible so getting a used one would be the way to go. After 3 1/2 years a $19,000 Contour was worth $9000. My wife's new Accord will hold it's value at least.

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'98 F-150 XLT SuperCab Flareside, Auto, 4.6L, 4X2, 3.55 LS, 6-CD changer, Moonlight Blue with tan interior, Captains Chairs

Mods[*]Window tint[*]Extang Classic Platinum Tonno[*]Lund Interceptor bug deflector[*]Wizard Superwhite Bulbs[*]Pendaliner bedliner[*]Expedition center console
http://www.geocities.com/scmc75/f150/

 

I recently picked up a used 98 SVT Contour for $14K (40K miles). I'm very impressed with the car so far. There were a few mods done to it; short shift kit, exhaust work, and K&N. The previous owner traded it in on a new Honda S2000. I would definitely consider going the used car route if you are considering a contour because of resale value.

 

Well, they're not really a p.o.s. A pain in the butt to work on though. Just try gettin' at that starter motor within the hour.... There's quite a few recalls out on them right now. I think 7. They did away with the auto down drivers window for the 2000. I don't know why... I prefer the Focus. I do like the Contour though, and it has more room than the Focus.

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1997 F-150, 4.6, automatic, Dark Toreador Red, Supercab, Flareside, 4X4 Off-Road, Towing Package, Ford hvy dty rubber floor mats, Kenwood 10-disk cd changer, Kenwood am/fm cassette head unit, Ford bugshield, Chrome Grizzly Wrap Around Push Bar with 2 KC 100w Daylighters, Ventshades, Ford bedliner, Lund Premier tonneau cover, cab and bed professionally undercoated, Code Alarm Sure Start RVS remote starter, Ford alarm, Realistic CB with Wilson Little Wil antenna and Astatic power mic, ported MAF sensor, and Lots of TLC!! (Besides being an F-150 nut, I am a Ford auto technician.)

 

My wife and I bought a new 99 last summer for her. After 15,000 miles we haven't had any problems other than the alignment. (I really wish I had seen that it was covered until 12K). She loves the car and when we bought it, it was a Consumer Reports "Recommend Buy".

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On Order Since 2/10/00
2000 XLT SC 4x4

• 4.6L
• 5-Speed Manual
• Deep Wedgewood Blue
• Dark Graphite Cloth Interior
• Single CD Stereo
• Sliding Rear Window
• Remote Keyless Entry

 

BTW..what's the url for the Contour Enthusiast website?

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On Order Since 2/10/00
2000 XLT SC 4x4

• 4.6L
• 5-Speed Manual
• Deep Wedgewood Blue
• Dark Graphite Cloth Interior
• Single CD Stereo
• Sliding Rear Window
• Remote Keyless Entry

 

Contour enthusiast group is www.contour.org
Did test drive taurus 3.0 with 24v DOHC engine. Very Nice!! Taurus just moved way up the list on potential buys! Can get one with most of the goodies for @ 20K. Alot of car for the money. 4-5K cheaper than comparable Accord/Camry. Feels better built than Mazda 626. Anyone know of Taurus website, other than SHO sites? Thanks

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00 supercab, 5.4,4x4, stay up too late on this site!