The paint cracking was a known problem with black Contours during certain years.
Alias, I don't care what you say, that black paint could not be saved at any point. If Ford knew how to paint, it wouldn't of happened. There was actually a recall for this when the Contours were new but they had to be under a certain mileage to be accepted for repainting. (under 10,000 or 20,000 miles)
I bought my car with major paint cracking. The hood, trunk and rear quarter panels were repainted after I was rear ended so they don't have any cracks now. But I still have tons on the fenders, doors, and the worst area of all, the roof.
It hides very nicely when cared for with Zaino. It doesn't stand out much and doesn't have white inside the cracks like it did before.
Other black Contours I've seen show the defects a lot more than mine and basically need a good polish to hide them.