Hello, soon to be SVT owner

[McNicol]

Hey everyone,
I have been trolling the boards for a few months and have finally registered. I have been on a long search for a new toy to work on and have pretty much decided on getting a SVT Contour.
I am a Ford man at heart and previously owned a Australian built '71 Capri GT3000 that I truly loved, but due to moving to Canada I sold it .
I have researched a fair bit about the SVT's and have also read the FAQ's on these forums. I was wondering if any board members would have some tips to look for when buying a SVT such as common rust areas and such.

Cheers

[beyondloadedSE]

Hey everyone,
I have been trolling the boards for a few months and have finally registered. I have been on a long search for a new toy to work on and have pretty much decided on getting a SVT Contour.
I am a Ford man at heart and previously owned a Australian built '71 Capri GT3000 that I truly loved, but due to moving to Canada I sold it .
I have researched a fair bit about the SVT's and have also read the FAQ's on these forums. I was wondering if any board members would have some tips to look for when buying a SVT such as common rust areas and such.

Cheers

Common rust areas would be around fender wells. My 96 started to rust near the windshield probably due to when the windshield was replaced earlier in its life and the place chipped the paint im guessing. Honestly, if the car is taken care of, it shouldnt rust at all. My 96 didnt have any rust around the fender wells. If your wanting to know what to look out for in terms of maintenance, we have a FAQ for that.

[RespectTheContour]

check the bottom of the doors on the inside...ive seen rust brewing there on a couple svt's

[alien_yet_familiar]

This isn't rust-related, but, having owned two '98 SVTs, these are things that were wrong on both:

Suspension needed replacement around 95,000 miles
A/C needed replacement - one at 76K, the other at 95K
Sunroof motor froze in one, had stripped gears in the other

And these went wrong on one or the other:

Power seat motor froze
IAC valve needed cleaning, and gasket replaced
Rubber air filter housing tore on a seam
Shift cable ends have missing bushing, causing shifter play
One window switch is tempermental
Speakers were blown (misuse, I'm sure, by the previous owner)

There are also lots of things that many people have had problems with that I haven't had to deal with as yet (knock on wood). Search around on the site and you'll see lots of water pump issues, O2 sensor replacements, and other various maintenance issues.

That being said, the Contour SVT is a GREAT car. I sold my first and replaced it with a Mazda RX-8, and I regretted it almost instantly. We just bought the second a few months ago, and every little bit of fixing, replacing, cleaning, upgrading, and polishing has been pure fun. I don't even begrudge the $1300 to replace the suspension, even though it hurts!

When you have yourself a 10-year old car that makes people turn their head, look twice, and say, "What's THAT?"; when you have a car that will make a rice-burner boy pee his pants with shame...... it's beyond words.

Welcome!!!

Sarah

[loggerbomb]

Gee Whiz! 4 Posts and the lady sounds like one of the old schoolers!
I feel your pain on the suspension detail. Got to get mine replaced. Have been holding off cause I know its going to be not the cheapest thing to do.

McNicol, are you still in Canada? Whereabouts? Must say good luck to you if your planning on buying a SVT in Canada. Few and far between!

[McNicol]

Thanks for the replies
I live in south western Ontario in a small hick town called Tillsonburg, with a large population of young males that drive Cavaliers with soup cans for exhaust tips.
Seen a few SVT's come and go on the autotrader ranging in prices. Basically I am just keeping an eye out and playing a waiting game.

[Tony2005]

Welcome , eh .

[loggerbomb]

lmao, I know Tilsonburg somewhat. A former gf of mine is the manager (or at least was the last time I talked to her) of the Rogers video there.
Not much for SVT's in the area. Saw one good one in Ottawa though.

[NickNick]

i would have to agree that the csvt is one of the best cars ever..! i have owned my svt for about a year and a half now and i still walk up to it after school or after work and think, damn thats a badass car. Sometimes i still get a little adrenaline rush. When i went on vacation to florida for 10 days, all i could think about was getting back to my svt after the 8th day. It really helps to know if you have a problem there is a community like CEG to be around to help you out. Just wait til you try and talk to a guy at autozone about your car problems. Made my svt eperience a hole lot better.
In my opinion, besides the rust deal,(i live in arizona so i dont have a problem with that :-) ) i would look at the most common problems. when i bought my car, i had no idea that the imrc linkage was missing and didnt know it until i raced another stock svt almost 11 months later. Also if the car has any aftermarket goodies, i would take a close look at them to make sure they were done decently. When i was looking for one i saw 1 local svt that had a piss a$$ poor exhaust job. and another with a darker front bumber and brand new head lights, a obvious front end collision. But most importent do a carfax and know exactly where its been and who owned it, and if its ever been in a accedient. But if you get a svt for a really good price i guess you can fix all those little things with the money you saved :-)

[LUCA]

Welcome!

You've gotten some good advice so far. Nice job Sarah! Nick too!

Check the car over throughly, get under it and check out the exhaust, check under the inside of the doors, trunk, hood. Check the condition of the oil/antifreeze, when were these last changed? Ask when the trans fluid was last changed, when/if the water pump was changed also. Does the owner have repair/maintenance records? Me, I like to see it in writing. Check for leaks under the car, slide under there and see if there are any signs of leakage. Also, check the condition of the belts (were these changed?).

Keep us posted on your search. Good luck!