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Why do contour owners like thier cars so much?

111R said:
i am soon going to put in a nautilus performance turbo kit; that should rekindle my love for the car after owning it for 5+ years :D
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Do you know somebody that will smog your car and pass it with a turbo installed? I'd get one of those kits if I weren't in California. :cry:
Karl
 
First of all, I've met a lot of people on this site and have made some good friends, which is a big reason many of us are still here.
Second, this site has a ton of information that helps us keep our cars running.

My personal reasons for liking my contours is because 1) my zetec gets good gas mileage and is reliable, and it's still sorta fun 2)my svt although not the fastest thing around is quick enough, handles well, and looks good to me, plenty of enough fun for me. I just like contours and I don't think they have to be modded to high heaven to be enjoyed. Sure one day I'll have a faster car, but I plan on keeping the svt, fixing the body damage/bad paint, and maintaining it.
 
I like the Contour SVT because there's not that many of them around..My brother owned since new and I've had it for the past two and half years...
Just too many imports here in So Cal...Runs great, fun all around car to own...
 
I agree with Frank T. You really don't see that many running around. Here in NW Indiana, I have maybe seen four or five on the highway.
 
As it says in my signature, my wife won hers new in fall of '94. They were just out and all of the automotive press was talking about Ford's 6 BILLION $$$$ car and Jackie Stewart consulting on the handling.

To my mind it's one of the best cars Ford ever built. It still has a very European feel to it, even 12 years later. Solid construction, firm but not harsh suspension, fabulous handling, firm supportive seats, convenient size, etc. But the best part is the engine package. I still love to put my foot in it and surprise other drivers. (And that's just with the standard 2.5 L V6 w/ slushbox.)

The second best part is, hardly anyone seems to know what it is. Shine it up a bit and know one knows that it's a 12 year old car.

It was having some niggling problems (warped disks (again), CEL, oil leak, CEL, water pump shaft leak, CEL, carpet pulling out from under the sills, CEL, etc.) so I said "how about a new car, honey?" Well, I don't know if it was just the thought of car payments after all these years, but she let me know in no uncertain terms that she loved her little Contour and she didn't want a new car.

Fine, then I'm going to update the little sucker, I said. And so it starts. The truth is, I love the little sucker myself.

Now, having said all that, what I'd really like to do is replace it with an SE twin. If anyone knows of one, this is what I'm looking for:
- '95 SE w/ 5 spd.
- Midnight Red w/ Opal Grey leather
- moon roof
- A/C, light group, power seats
- prefer factory CD player & remote keyless entry

Of course low miles and factory fresh (like BeyondloadedSE's new SVT - sweet!). Rust belters need not apply. I'm willing to wait for the right car, will pay top dollar and pick up anywhere. What can I say, I love these little cars and besides, that's the only thing that would make my wife let go of the one she's got now!


ps: thanks, CEG, for being a great community and adding to the enjoyment of these great little cars!
 
frenchblueC2 said:
Some people just get emotionally attached and can't ever let go.
They're also the same ones that aren't fickle and need the newest thing out there every couple years.
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I've had my V6 for 4 years now, and I am moving to the US in August. I can't bear selling or parting it, so I am giving it to my brother. Why?

He will take care of it, plus, when I visit home, I can drive it :)

Its a 1996 heavily modded V6 which puts out 209hp, and is running headers with no cats (and still passes emissions tests) and it sounds fantastic.

It turns heads on the streets even at low rpm from the burbly exhaust.

I NEVER get tired of the WTF?? look from other motorists as they look at a boring saloon and try figure out whats under the hood.

I also have a 2005 Mondeo tdci (2 litre turbo diesel) and I drive the '96 V6 more! :)
 
elraido said:
...it isn't the fastest thing out there, but it is quick and handles like a dream.
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It isn't the faster thing around, but believe me, you can easily lose your license driving its top speed (whatever engine) on the highway. ;) .

Oh yes, for me, it is quick and handles like a dream. Plus at 11 years old, the personal property tax is zero and insurance (full coverage) is $27 per month. :laugh:
 
I have had my CSVT since new in 1998. At that time I was still a poor graduate student living on scholarship/stipend. The car payment, insurance, rent, food and occasional purchase of computer stuff always made me dry up all my resources toward the end of the month. And I survived, never ever had a thought to give it up.

7 years later, I was bitten by the new car bug. So I jumped and bought a new Saab 9-2X Aero with leather/HID and whatnots for about the same price I paid for the CSVT. At the eve of putting the CSVT for sale, I really thought about it a lot and couldn't pull the trigger. I realized it had been with me day in and out for this long, and it had been part of my life. Never had any bond with any other car. We had a 99 Altima SE, a 01 Pathfinder SE, and later a 06 Sienna. All bought new and none of them gives me this kind of attachment. So I persuaded my wife to let me keep it. After that, I started serious modding. Now it has a 3L and HMS tranny, with all new suspension. A Nautilus turbo kit is on the horizon too.

And I will teach my kids how to drive with this car some day. Although my 6 yrs old girl already claimed the Saab, my 3 yrs old son like the CSVT better and that's what he will get for his first car.
 
Tony2005 said:
It isn't the faster thing around, but believe me, you can easily lose your license driving its top speed (whatever engine) on the highway. ;) .

Oh yes, for me, it is quick and handles like a dream. Plus at 11 years old, the personal property tax is zero and insurance (full coverage) is $27 per month. :laugh:
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You people and your personal property tax and your silly emission tests. Never had the SE above 90 and haven't had the SVT above 85 yet. :)
 
Tony2005 said:
It isn't the faster thing around, but believe me, you can easily lose your license driving its top speed (whatever engine) on the highway. ;) .

Oh yes, for me, it is quick and handles like a dream. Plus at 11 years old, the personal property tax is zero and insurance (full coverage) is $27 per month. :laugh:
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I hate you. I paid more in excise tax than my mom did for her 2002 Saturn SL2. And I pay $160 a month for insurance...sucks to be 19 years old living in Massachusetts.
 
I had always owned a 95 Chevy Lumina, only car i've ever had, got her as a HS grad. gift

but my car was totalled by a careless police offier and the wife found this car at a dealership.

Tho the car is 7 years old, it still runs great and It handles the road & the track much smoother than my old 95 Chevy Lumina, it's a smaller car, better sound system, firm seats, and a cool engine 2.5L V6,
plus it's much better on gas..$41 to fillup conpeared to $76 to fillup a Lumina.

my only issue with the contour is that's it a very hard car to fix, when i got her, I had to replace to whole Emission Control system, which as a pain in the a$$, plus the contour as many design issues with the Electrical system that takes time & lot's of cash to fix.

but if you get pass those issues...i've found that the contour is a great car.
 
I'm not sure. I got my 96 gl 2.0 auto contour cheap, had to do a lot of fixes but for the price I got the car, why not. Currently its getting 25 mpg and yes it still needs some work but it has not let me down since I got it on the road 2 months ago. This car now has 103000 miles on it. Its not my 85 mustang gt, ff5 cobra or 2001 excursion but the thing is a blast to drive pure and simple. I will be getting rid of the rear drum brakes, and changing the sway bar soon, and I will drive the wheels off this thing. Its just fun.
Frank
 
I have a love/hate relationship as well

Love:
Looks, if the right mods are done
Sound
Comfort
Reliability

Hate:
FWD
Not very fast

I sure wish it was faster, but that's what I'll be buying a bike for :laugh:
 
zorrex said:
I hate you. I paid more in excise tax than my mom did for her 2002 Saturn SL2. And I pay $160 a month for insurance...sucks to be 19 years old living in Massachusetts.
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That's still cheap! Move to Boston like I did! :(

I find myself forming bonds with all the cars I've owned, but the Contour has been by far the most well-rounded. It's the perfect size, perfect shape, all of the user controls are logical, the pedals feel perfect (especially when the brakes are new), the stock suspension rolled in such a manner where you still felt confident. I barely remember how my Probe GT drove, but I will never forget how it feels to put the Contour into gear and the way it responded to the accelerator, the weight of the power steering, the weight of the accelerator, the gentle clunk that told me the ATX was in Drive, the hard-to-press window switches, the exact whirr noise of the locks, etc. One of my favorite parts is the body panels, clean smooth lines that are easy to wash and wax. T-Red remains my favorite car color and I have trouble picturing owning other colors.

I did get rid of the Contour because it was being unreliable and I could not find a place to store it. But for the money I received, I do regret selling it.
 
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zorrex said:
And I pay $160 a month for insurance...sucks to be 19 years old living in Massachusetts.
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When I first insured my 'tour in '99, I was paying $295/month. It's a 4-banger, beige automatic 'tour. And I'm a chick.
Now at (almost) 27, I pay $94 a month. Up in canuck land, after you reach 25, your premiums go down significantly, assuming that you have a fairly decent driving record. I'm not sure if the states has that kind of a deal.

But staying on track as to why I love my contour: More sentimental than anything. It was my first real piece of responsibility as a teenager, and my dad bought it for me as a gift. I love my pops to absolute smithereens, so I could never part with it for that reason.

That and it's super fun to drive....when it's running.
The one thing I hate most is the extremely limited space under the hood. My hands are always scraped to **** afterwards because it's so hard to get in some areas.
Also dislike that since it's such an uncommon car here, the parts are NEVER carried in stock (sensors, even oil filters, believe it or not). I have to call ahead of time to make sure they have the parts I need so that I can get the car done in a day.
 
kouksie said:
When I first insured my 'tour in '99, I was paying $295/month. It's a 4-banger, beige automatic 'tour. And I'm a chick.
Now at (almost) 27, I pay $94 a month. Up in canuck land, after you reach 25, your premiums go down significantly, assuming that you have a fairly decent driving record. I'm not sure if the states has that kind of a deal.

But staying on track as to why I love my contour: More sentimental than anything. It was my first real piece of responsibility as a teenager, and my dad bought it for me as a gift. I love my pops to absolute smithereens, so I could never part with it for that reason.

That and it's super fun to drive....when it's running.
The one thing I hate most is the extremely limited space under the hood. My hands are always scraped to **** afterwards because it's so hard to get in some areas.
Also dislike that since it's such an uncommon car here, the parts are NEVER carried in stock (sensors, even oil filters, believe it or not). I have to call ahead of time to make sure they have the parts I need so that I can get the car done in a day.
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$65 a month full coverage for the SVT here. hehe
 
BAD SVT said:
i talked to joey a while ago. He said he should be able to recirculate ur gases back into the exhaust. Venting into the atmosphere will fail smog 4 sure.
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Huh? My reply was to 111R. No turbo is CARB approved in California that I know of. Our cars would fail the visual inspection regardless of how they would do on the sniffer test.
Karl
 
I love mine for several reasons. It's the highest trim of any model I've owned, ie had an RX-7 but not turbo, had a CRX but not SI, had a Camaro but not Z-28.

It also is not a run of the mill ride. I'm tired of all the civics, integras and even camaros and mustangs around. Not that they're not nice, but it's too hard to be original with them. No matter what you do, it's been done already. :shrug:

Plus, my car sticks like peanut butter to the roof of your mouth.:laugh:
 
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