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Should I "settle" for an SE?

Not under 90k miles, but like 120-140k miles. Start your search on here, but look at ebay, autotrader, newspapers, and WORD OF MOUTH. I ain't doing your legwork, but me and many others on here have SVTs for that cost well under what you're looking at.
 
Kremithefrog said:
At the price they go for, it doesn't really matter if something breaks, you spend so little on a nice car that fixing something, even something major, still leaves you better off than going with any other comparable vehicle on the market.
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I'm looking for something that I don't have to fix little things on. I have neither the facilities nor the tools to do much at all to my car.
 
Kremithefrog said:
Not under 90k miles, but like 120-140k miles. Start your search on here, but look at ebay, autotrader, newspapers, and WORD OF MOUTH. I ain't doing your legwork, but me and many others on here have SVTs for that cost well under what you're looking at.
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I'm on cars.com, autotrader, ebay, the classifieds, etc every day scoping them out. And it wouldn't make sense for me to buy a car with 40k MORE miles on it than the one I have now. If I buy another car I don't want to buy one that's going to need work, which is the whole point of replacing this car.
 
Well, I'd prefer something that I can depend on for quite a while. A car with 140K on it has been around the block a few times and I just feel like it's going to nickel-and-dime me to death.
 
of course it will nickel and dime you. but so will a car with 80k on it. what it really comes down to is that you would have to give the car a HUGE run-through before you decide if you like it or not. either that or just get a car with sub-40k at a dealership :shrug:
 
Just be patient and check different sources every day. The right SVT will come. Don't rule out eBay. ;)
 
PurpleMystique said:
Well, I'd prefer something that I can depend on for quite a while. A car with 140K on it has been around the block a few times and I just feel like it's going to nickel-and-dime me to death.
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Well, good luck finding one. Just because a car has higher milage doesn't anything. You have to take in account how it runs. My 200K miles SE runs smoother than my 122K SVT. You can't even tell the SE is on when you are at a stop light most of the time. ALL cars need some sort of fixing when they hit around 100K miles. And since our cars have been out of production for 8 years already, good luck finding a low milage one. But I do remember seeing that someone had a 7000 mile original MTX duratec for sale for around $5,000 a while ago. yes, that was 7000 not 70,000.
 
If you are asking this question, you know you want an SVT. So, don't settle, get what you want or you will be looking again after a few months.
 
Sold mine last fall for $3,100 w/119,000. Everything worked but the body was so-so. I still miss that car and will have another one when my LS dies.

Sounds like you've already got a beater so just nurse her along until the right car shows up! I drove a Subaru with a slipping auto trans. for 6 months! Lucas oil is your friend!
 
Kremithefrog said:
Are you serious? I see many more SVTs better cared for than a regular contour. Of course don't buy one some random teenagers has been ragging out, but don't buy any car a random teenager has been ragging out.
My SVT was two owners before I bought it, a LOT less than the prices you're talking about, a little higher mileage than average but pretty well cared for (especially the important stuff, like the engine).

There are plenty of cheap, good conditions SVTs out there. I see them everyday on here. People picking up decent rides, needing very little work for $2k-$3k. You can't beat the value of a SVT contour.

By the way, before I got my svt, I thought I too couldn't afford one (during my financial situation at the time) but I wasn't looking. I just happend to get the best instant message on AIM that I ever got and I now have a svt. Since then, I've noticed plenty of people getting the same kind of deal I got. At the price they go for, it doesn't really matter if something breaks, you spend so little on a nice car that fixing something, even something major, still leaves you better off than going with any other comparable vehicle on the market.
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I've pondered this for years. :) It's just a decision I've come to.
 
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