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Scarcity Of Contour Parts?

V

VIP

New CEG'er
Joined
Oct 2, 2008
Messages
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I'm new to Contours (basically trying to research before I commit). I've noticed a fair number of posts here that indicate that there are Contour parts that are no longer available at all (specifically wire harnesses) or are not normally in stock and "take a couple days to come in." (I forget which post I quoted that from).
So, just how bad of a situation is this? I mean, if I have a water pump, or alternator go out am I left stuck for a week waiting for the local parts store to get it...or worse scouring the junk yards? (Or maybe even worse and getting some third world country knock-off that I end up replacing every 5,000 miles!)
This is definitely something that plays along in my mind when considering whether I should get involved with a car model.

Gotta say, I'm a bit amazed at this situation though. I bet if I still had my 78 F-150 I could walk into the local parts store and walk out with just about anything I need. What happened to make such a short support cycle from Ford for a car that ceased production not even a decade ago?

Thanks for anyones inputs and comments.
 
It's the unusual stuff that would be scarse, wiring harnesses would be junkyard finds. alternators, starters, waterpumps, certain switches, sensors, relays, brake parts, fuel pump,a/c stuff, etc would be had at your local parts store. most body parts save for the svt skirts and bumpers at the moment, can all be had aftermarket and some may still be had by ford. interior trim pieces, junkyard.It's not that bad unless you need a wiring harness I would guess :shrug:.
 
It is really no different than for any other car of its age. Here at CEG we have been helping each other by letting one another know when Ford branded parts are getting scarce, so we are a bit more aware than most car communities.
 
You can get most any part you need, to be honest. :shrug: It's the random things like some stupid bolt that has some weird pitch or something, if you know what I mean :crazy: :laugh:

Bill Jenkins at Team Ford Parts or Steve at Tousley Ford can get you a whole BUNCH of OEM parts at awesome prices, and if you ever need that "stupid thing" that you can't get anywhere else, they can help you out.
 
Also, one of the best resources (and one I am using right now) is CEG. Alot of members choose to "part out" thier cars after they've finished a project, crashed the car, or the motor has blown up. You'll find a boatload of those "weird parts" or "that one screw" when this happens. It's also a great way to build up a nice daily driver at a cut-rate price.

Good luck with the decision, I hope you go with a Contour. It's a car that really doesn't have another one like it (except for the Mystique:laugh:). It's got alot of charm, character, and fun left in it yet!:cool:
 
Thanks for the replies so far.
Yes, it's not an easy decision at this point. I like the "concept" behind the the model, but am very concerned at a number of common reliability issues I've seen mentioned.
I've enjoyed the test drives I've done so far...although the ride seems a bit softer than I'm used to. But my primary ride is a Celica so I'm used to feeling the road a bit more.

It's certainly nice to have someplace like here to get the odd parts from, but I would imagine frustrating at times to wait for the right part to come up.
 
You drive a celica and are worried about the reliability issues of the contour? As long as you keep fluids changed regularly in the contour and dont completely beat it to death it will run for what seems like forever. That is more than I can say for the toyotas which like coughing rods out the side of the block.
 
VIP said:
Thanks for the replies so far.
Yes, it's not an easy decision at this point. I like the "concept" behind the the model, but am very concerned at a number of common reliability issues I've seen mentioned.
I've enjoyed the test drives I've done so far...although the ride seems a bit softer than I'm used to. But my primary ride is a Celica so I'm used to feeling the road a bit more.

It's certainly nice to have someplace like here to get the odd parts from, but I would imagine frustrating at times to wait for the right part to come up.
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To be honest, people on here can be a bit melodramatic about their cars; and, as with every car, there are a few bad apples. Being that this is the main forum for Contours with over 12,000 members, those who have bought lemons and bad apple are bound to run into us. I can firmly say that my car has been one of the most reliable that my family has ever had as far back as I can remember; and still won't get rid of it for a loooong time from now with 165,000 miles:cool:
 
Let me add to that. I have a 98 SVT as you can see from my signature line. It is approaching 245,000 miles. I bought it new.

It still has the original trans and clutch and has had no engine failures. I have replaced the water pump twice, and the heater hoses once. The original front brakes went 150,000 miles.

It is an SVT. I bought it as a high performance car and drive it like one. I regularly wind the engine up to red line at least once a day. I drive it like it was meant to be driven, although I have learned a bit of finesse with the high performance driving.

I would not be afraid to drive it across the country tomorrow.

It doesn't owe me a dime.
 
I can add to this with words of encouragement from my point of view. Mine just rolled above 92k miles (just drove it 1500 miles from MI to Texas, hitting high speeds and it took it like a champ). Last week I got my first check engine light, mind you at 92k miles....and guess what, it went away! :laugh:

My mother also had a 98 SE, which I took in when she purchased a Jag. The car was in pretty bad shape when I got it. Did some work on it, and now it's sitting comfortable at ~125k miles with a long life still ahead of both of them. In fact, I'll be making the trip back from TX to MI and then back to TX during Christmas.

As others have mentioned, great cars if you don't beat the snot out of them, and know of their glitches.

Anyways, these are just a few viewpoints that took the time to post here. I encourage you search this site, and I think you'll find that most here have had a good experience with this platform with the occasional lemons here and there.
 
organizedinsanity said:
You drive a celica and are worried about the reliability issues of the contour? As long as you keep fluids changed regularly in the contour and dont completely beat it to death it will run for what seems like forever. That is more than I can say for the toyotas which like coughing rods out the side of the block.
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Let's see...I bought my Celica with about 70K miles (15 years ago). I now have about 185K miles. Other than "normal maintenance" (such as plugs/fluids/brakes/belts/etc) I have put NOTHING into it other then a starter that went out last summer. It killed me to loose the bragging rights I had to the guys at work that I'd never had anything break on the car. ;) That is the only part that has broken on it in the 15 years and 115K miles that I've owned it. The lighter even works. Other than the paint flaking a bit (but no rust on the body to speak of) I think it's held up pretty well. I don't know,...maybe whoever had it before me had everything break at 69K miles and replaced it all just before I bought it and that explains it's quality.

In response to a different poster, I agree that some folks can be a bit melodramatic about "brands" (such as stating that ALL vehicles made from a company are bad) but if you check the studies that are out there on long term reliability, Toyota is in the tops. Maybe a block coughing rods is more a case of the driver/owner? hmmm... :confused:

However in fairness, to keep a white flag up to organizedinsanity so he doesn't feel too put out, I'll mention that I've owned used Subarus and did have one of them that had some problems that forced me to eventually give up on it. But I do believe those problems were caused by a previous owners neglect. So I guess those studies ain't perfect are they? The other two Subarus were great cars that just wouldn't stop. Only sold them at the time as I was moving and didn't want to move them cross country.
 
In general answer to those who have been kind enough to post their personal experiences with their Contours here, thanks...it's good to hear from the owners and what they've had happen over their ownership. It'd be an interesting question/post of "would you be willing to buy another Contour based upon your current experiences" but I think the replies would be a bit slanted. ;)
 
I picked mine up from a friend on a whim(he made me an offer I couldn't refuse), and it had sat for 2 years. Cleaned it up and polished it, put a timing belt on it, and some new speakers for the stereo. Tossed some preventative maintence on it, and a new timing belt, and it's been golden.

My only real gripe with it, it's a tad noisy on the highway.

They are fun to drive, have good handling even on mine's skinny 14" wheels. Mine's so far been pretty trouble free with 90k on it.
 
VIP said:
"would you be willing to buy another Contour based upon your current experiences"
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Yes. Infact I sold a newer, nicer car, and bought another SVT for my Texas car based on my experiences with my SVT that I keep in Michigan.
 
Also have to remember that on forums like this, people are usually only going to post when they're having a problem. No one comes and says "Hey cars running fine, no issues" (except for threads like this), so you end up with a distorted view of their reliablility.
 
TX00SVT said:
Yes. Infact I sold a newer, nicer car, and bought another SVT for my Texas car based on my experiences with my SVT that I keep in Michigan.
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Excuse me for getting completely off the point of my own post, but your sentence above made me think of those stories in the 70s/80s of airline pilots who would have one family on the east coast and one on the west coast that neither knew about.....have you been cheating on your Contours without telling the other about "the other car?" :laugh:

No, no, no....don't explain. Everyone is entitled to their own "lifestyle"....
 
My first Contour was unreliable (24K-77K miles). I don't even want to detail the amount of money my parents and I put into it. Loved the car otherwise.
The SVT has been great so far (83K-95K currently), no factory part broken except the alternator. But I no longer drive a Ford daily.
 
I've had no issues getting parts for my beloved SVT. I order what I need from Steve up at Tousley Ford in Minnesota -- 800-328-9552 -- since I prefer to run nothing but Ford / Motorcraft parts. I've maintained my car extremely well, take great care of her, and she takes great care of me. Her reliability has been excellent.

The parts scarcity you speak of, at least from a factory / OEM standpoint, applies to the Taurus SHO, another car I have long experience with. Still, that didn't stop me from running my first one 221,938 miles on the original engine, alternator, transmission, etc. I was able to get factory or aftermarket parts as necessary. The Contour is easy by comparison.
 
VIP said:
Excuse me for getting completely off the point of my own post, but your sentence above made me think of those stories in the 70s/80s of airline pilots who would have one family on the east coast and one on the west coast that neither knew about.....have you been cheating on your Contours without telling the other about "the other car?" :laugh:

No, no, no....don't explain. Everyone is entitled to their own "lifestyle"....
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Oh no, my SVTs have met, swapped parts, etc.

102_1881.jpg


My 3L SVT had an issue when I first got it, but for as modified as it is, I'd say it is still extremely reliable. I got in it and drove it 1200 miles to Texas last Monday, and never had to worry about it. My stock SVT, on the other hand, has been extremely reliable. I did have the fuel pump die, which is normal for the 2000's with returnless pumps, but it was an easy and cheap fix, and I have not had a single problem with it, besides that, for the last 20,000 miles and 3 years that I have owned it.
 
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