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Non-SVT Contours

D

Desiato

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Oct 31, 2004
Messages
1,066
Location
Ottawa, ON
I sometimes feel that the value of other Contour/Mystique models is lost in the (justified) SVT worship that goes on here. I'd like to say some good things about my non-SVT.

95LX V6 ATX, green exterior, gray cloth interior. This car will be 12 years old in October, but it doesn't drive like it. I've driven quite a few other modern sedans including the Fusion, and I can honestly say that I wouldn't trade any of them for my Contour. I love its handling, its braking (4 wheel disc), its atx performance. I appreciate my feel for the road through it every time I drive. I love the size of the car and its dimensions. I love that it's a practical 4 door sedan that's under 3000lbs. I even love the interior design. I have driven this car hard in its first two years of ownership -- and my first two of driving (at 31 years old) -- and its taken it all in stride. It's a warrior on the freeway and is agile in the city. It performs well every season. I believe that its amazing freeway/highway handling has saved me from an accident more than once.

I am finding that as "new edge" designs fade away and a more organic look is coming back, my car actually looks better to me than it did when I purchased it and looks infinitely better than most of its boxy 1995 peers. I recently put on 16" Cougar rims and the car looks fantastic.

The best part is that I paid less than $1900USD for it with 85k miles on it. The value of these cars is incredible. You can find V6 95-98's with under 80k miles on them for under $2k USD without trying that hard. That's amazing. An import with similar specifications and arguably weaker all-round performance might cost three or five times that.

I am currently shopping for a SVT Contour for a lot of reasons -- primarily to go from atx to mtx -- but I will always love my current Contour.
 
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Thats good to hear. I feel the same way. I love my atx 4 cylinder contour. I wouldnt trade it in either. I plan on driving it until the doors fall off. I would love to buy an SVTC. Thats why I am keeping my EYES open for a great deal.
 
I too love the grey cloth interior in my 96 SE. I much prefer it over the leather.
Doesnt show its age like the leather does. My suspension on the other hand, is nothing to rave about. Its definetely worn out.
 
Yeah I have no problem driving my 96 atx zetec to work 5 days a week. Gas mileage is great and it's always been a good car to me. I'd keep it, but I really want some money and get an even cheaper daily driver.
 
Love my Mystique

Love my Mystique

I had a 96 Mystique GS V6 and that car was one of the best handling cars I've driven. Great size and it packed quite a punch on the highway when you open it up. Never wanted to get rid of it, then some one totalled it. I loved it so much I went out and bought another one... a 1998 Mystique LS. Simply awesome machines, it is just a shame they are no longer being produced. They should bring back the Contique!
 
I ,too, love my non SVT contour. '99 SE V6. after 140K miles, the motor still pulls strong. But i think the tranny is finally on its way out. that saddens me.
 
well thats right the older modells are absolutely dependably and without problems they have a own face . the new edge desing is terrible one car looks like the other . i will drive my 95er as long as it goes . tihs year i get that German tüv badge without any complaint and that is not so easy by a 11 year old car .
 
i love my 95 mystique. for being a 11-12 year old car it's in great shape. I like it because it look totaly diffrent from the rest of the contours and mystiques. Kinda loks like the Mark VIII from the front.
 
My '98 SE is the first and only car I have bought brand new. I love this car with a passion my friends think is more than a little wierd. Screw 'em. They don't know what they're missing, and my 'Tour has never left me stranded, unlike their Intrepid lemon POS'es. I love almost everything about the car, with the exception of the console/cupholders. No surprise there! I will, one day, have a (hopefully matching Silver Frost) SVT to park in the driveway, but it will be sitting next to my SE, not in place of it!

Long live the GSs, LSs, and SEs!
 
96MystiqueGS said:
They should bring back the Contique!
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That might not be such a bad idea. They redesigned the Mustang from the original look, why not the Contique? I say the right year would be 2010, 10 years since the last contique was made. If Ford upgrades there service to the customer, I might buy it.

My Contour has traveled some rough roads but its always been good to me. I don't want to replace it, but that day will come and hopefully I won't have to get rid of it.
 
KerryKool said:
That might not be such a bad idea. They redesigned the Mustang from the original look, why not the Contique? I say the right year would be 2010, 10 years since the last contique was made. If Ford upgrades there service to the customer, I might buy it.

My Contour has traveled some rough roads but its always been good to me. I don't want to replace it, but that day will come and hopefully I won't have to get rid of it.
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because the mustang always sold well, and the contour did not. Thats why it was discontinued.
 
Love my 95 SE Tour. As close to a SVT as your are going to get....and better in some areas. No dash warp, falling apart stearing wheel, better leather seats. And not as good in others....performance (duh), styling. Hit a deer with mine, and it still is in better condition than a lot of newer cars out there. MTX + V6 = FUN!!!
 
Kremithefrog said:
Yeah I have no problem driving my 96 atx zetec to work 5 days a week. Gas mileage is great and it's always been a good car to me. I'd keep it, but I really want some money and get an even cheaper daily driver.
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You have an Escort what else would you want. That should be great gas mileage.
 
elraido said:
Love my 95 SE Tour. As close to a SVT as your are going to get....and better in some areas. No dash warp, falling apart stearing wheel, better leather seats. And not as good in others....performance (duh), styling. Hit a deer with mine, and it still is in better condition than a lot of newer cars out there. MTX + V6 = FUN!!!
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Same here, I like driving my Contour better than my wife's Mazda6. The Contour is not as smooth or quiet, but the steering is better, the handling is better, and the seats are better. The Contour feels much more like a sports car than the 6.
I'm keeping the Contour as long as nothing major goes wrong.
 
I recently started thinking about my future teen drivers, and what would be the perfect car for them.

It's a ways off, since my oldest is only 10, but it's all part of a bigger picture. Boring story, really so I'll stop there.

Point is, my original plan was to look for a father/son project/autocross toy that could morph into his first car. Trouble was, something about letting my new driver run around in some little crunch can made me a bit nervous, so I started researching safe cars for teens.

Well, my research (besides scaring the hell out of me) led me to the obvious conclusion: My kids need the Contour.

1. It's not an "image" car. Cars with a "fast" image tend to encourage fast driving by teens.
2. It's "peppy" but not blindingly fast. Cars with lots of power tend to allow new drivers to get in over their heads.
3. It has a 5-star frontal crash-test rating, with driver and passenger airbags. Teens wreck more than other people.
4. It's easy to drive well, and forgiving of small mistakes.
5. Excellent visibility, etc.
6. It's a midsized car, vs a compact. (bigger the better, to a point)
7. It's a sedan. Many teen-driver accidents are "single-vehicle" accidents, and like it or not, sedans are less prone to rollover in such accidents than SUVs.
8. Etc.

So, the car will be 16 same time as my son, but I don't plan to hand over the keys for a while after that, yet. Maybe when he starts his sophomore year at Whatever U, at which point maybe I'll finally get that _________ (BMW, Infiniti, Porsche)

Anyway, I love this car for a lot of reasons, which I've said before, but this is just one more thing that reinforces my choice almost 11 years ago.
 
Same here, I like my 97 Contour SE.
The steering, handling, Dash-layout & gas mileage are much better. The Contour feels much more like a sports car, than a big boat

Very Diffent from my old 95 Chevy Lumiua
 
spgoode said:
Same here, I like driving my Contour better than my wife's Mazda6. The Contour is not as smooth or quiet, but the steering is better, the handling is better, and the seats are better. The Contour feels much more like a sports car than the 6.
I'm keeping the Contour as long as nothing major goes wrong.
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This is exactly the way I feel. I'd even rather fix a major mechanical problem (yank that engine out and stuff in a 3L!) than replace it. A collision is about the only way I'd write myself out of the car. My wife's 2.3L Mazda6 definitely is smoother and quieter (almost to the point that I want to check the speedo calibration because 75 in that car feels like 60 in mine), but it definitely doesn't have the grunt and doesn't sound as good as my Duratec, not to mention that its ATX really does suck and I love my rod-shifter MTX-75 feel.
 
I like my SVT...

There, now you non-SVT guys know what it's like to have your thread crashed! :p j/k! I've been thinking about a non-SVT for my daily driver actually. Just looking for the right deal!

Mark
 
I love my LX! Good thing I loved it before I thre a rod. Now I love it because it has a 3L, a built tranny, and a Trubendz. It's loud, fast, and not an SVT badge on it.:D

Of course I'm still looking for an SVT body kit, preferably in black, and a tan leather interior, but I won't put an SVT badge anywhere.
 
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