any wire in the engine bay, most noticable at the fuel injectors and on the fan
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Very sad...
- Thread starter zorrex
- Start date
any wire in the engine bay, most noticable at the fuel injectors and on the fan
zorrex
Enjoys the Abuse
Ok, I'm gonna give them a call I think, and maybe take a drive down this weekend if I like what they have to say. Maybe her mom will like this because of the mileage (I can't believe that mileage!) and I like it cuz it's a Contour. It's a win-win
Ok, I'm gonna give them a call I think, and maybe take a drive down this weekend if I like what they have to say. Maybe her mom will like this because of the mileage (I can't believe that mileage!) and I like it cuz it's a Contour. It's a win-win
Id car fax it to make sure the milage is accurate. but if your this way let me know, I'll be down in that area of CT this weekend, or close enough. Hoping to install my front Warmonger brake kit this weekend :drool: :laugh:
btwmy 95 zetec has been on of the best deals ever, 7 years and over 100K not so easy miles, has never let me down.
zorrex
Enjoys the Abuse
Blah, I called the guy, and he SOLD IT! It was a grandma car, true mileage! Apparently he sold it to a guy who turned out to be a dealer :shocked:. It's now on his lot for $3300 :nonono:. The guy I spoke with was disappointed, and I told him I was even more disappointed. But his brother is selling HIS Contour for $1500! His brother is on vacation and said to call him back on Thursday! 98k miles are on it I guess, but he doesn't know if it's the I4 or V6. He sounds like a nice guy that's really letting these go cheap and easy. Maybe I can haggle him down a teensy bit. :laugh: I'll keep this updated, because I'd love for my gf to join the Contour family
1. What does your girlfriend want? Forcing a specific make/model on her may cause antipathy. Forgive me for sounding abrupt but it sounds like you want a Contour more than she does.
2. Who is paying for the car? Why is Mom that involved in her car purchase?
3. If reliability is key, I'd shop around personally. The Contour can be a wonderful car especially if well maintained, but certainly not bulletproof. It seems reliability varies greatly by car; I had lots of troubles with my SE.
(I bought my Nissan in 2005 instead of an SVT for a reason.)
Granted, you do have the community here and wonderful people that can help if things do break, but there's that risk in the first place that things could break. If she doesn't care about cars, some ho-hum but reliable vehicle may be the best choice.
I question the sanity of whoever recommended a first-gen Neon to her mom!
2. Who is paying for the car? Why is Mom that involved in her car purchase?
3. If reliability is key, I'd shop around personally. The Contour can be a wonderful car especially if well maintained, but certainly not bulletproof. It seems reliability varies greatly by car; I had lots of troubles with my SE.
(I bought my Nissan in 2005 instead of an SVT for a reason.)
Granted, you do have the community here and wonderful people that can help if things do break, but there's that risk in the first place that things could break. If she doesn't care about cars, some ho-hum but reliable vehicle may be the best choice.
I question the sanity of whoever recommended a first-gen Neon to her mom!
zorrex
Enjoys the Abuse
I appreciate the comments Matt. But seriously, my gf knows nearly nothing of cars, so she wants a car that she is familiar with. And to make this story less confusing, her parents are divorced. The list includes a Subaru (she used to have one and her mom has one), Contique, or a Volvo. She wants something that she will feel comfortable and confident in. This would rule out something ghey like a Neon. And it was her DAD that suggested a Neon, it was for sale down the street from him. But here is the money situation. My gf has only ~$700 to contribute. The other $1000 is being loaned to her from her mom. That's it for PURCHASING the car. Her dad is willing to put some money down on immediate repairs (yet her mom wouldn't go for the Contour, but wanted the Neon 
). It sounds to me, from what my gf has told me, that her mom convinced her dad to go out and look for other cars, because her mom didn't like the Contour because her mom's friend didn't like the Contour. Does this all make sense now? All three parties need to be satisfied, and they're all making it VERY DIFFICULT. In fact, the most difficult thing, and I hate to say it, is the fact that my gf wants a car she's familiar with. She loves boxy 80s-90s wagons confused and Subaru's and my car. But, I got along really well with the sales manager where they were selling the Contour, and he said if I give him a call he will let me know of any good-running cars in her price range. And I'm going to be in contact with the seller of that 35k Contour. Hopefully this will work out. I feel really bad for my gf because her accident wasn't 100% her fault and now she's out of a car and many of her friends live a reasonable distance away and it's hard for her to see them. She's been sitting at home doing nearly nothing much of the time and that bothers me...
Well now that I feel extraordinarily annoying, I'll be on my way.
). It sounds to me, from what my gf has told me, that her mom convinced her dad to go out and look for other cars, because her mom didn't like the Contour because her mom's friend didn't like the Contour. Does this all make sense now? All three parties need to be satisfied, and they're all making it VERY DIFFICULT. In fact, the most difficult thing, and I hate to say it, is the fact that my gf wants a car she's familiar with. She loves boxy 80s-90s wagons confused and Subaru's and my car. But, I got along really well with the sales manager where they were selling the Contour, and he said if I give him a call he will let me know of any good-running cars in her price range. And I'm going to be in contact with the seller of that 35k Contour. Hopefully this will work out. I feel really bad for my gf because her accident wasn't 100% her fault and now she's out of a car and many of her friends live a reasonable distance away and it's hard for her to see them. She's been sitting at home doing nearly nothing much of the time and that bothers me...Well now that I feel extraordinarily annoying, I'll be on my way.
That makes sense. My sister was in a huge accident with her Saturn a few months back and was without a car for a while. I know the pressure of finding a vehicle ASAP is like from her experience.
From personal experience, I do not recommend an interest-free loan from one's parents. It's so hard to pay back. I still owe my parents more than a grand for my Probe (which I got rid of in 2003) and my sister does for her Saturn. I think my parents have just forgiven them by now, but still, money transactions within family are difficult. I'm "paying" it back in presents now that I have a salary
If she is over 18 I recommend a small car loan through a bank - or a small personal loan if the bank won't do a $1K loan. It's a great credit-builder especially if you have huge student loans (like me), and keeps you from being irresponsible with money. I can think of so many things I purchased with money that should have gone to my parents.
Out of the three choices, for the price range the Contour is probably your best bet. Although I fear it may potentially be the least reliable, at least the repairs are less costly. However, I am also extremely partial to Subarus and an Impreza Sport Wagon is a neat idea for the money, while also being possibly cost-effective. Or a cheap Outback example
Since your GF was in an accident: If you think her parents can stomach it, gather all of the totalled Contour pictures you can find on the site (there are a bunch of rollover ones too), compile them together with a Post-it on top saying "Everybody walked away from these with nothing more than bruises." One of the things I love about this car is its safety record. I have a scanned Cartalk article about a totalled Contour T-boned by a Suburban where Tom and Ray said (quote) "Be thankful for the protection the car did provide. The manufacturer obviously did something right." .. I can give you that scan if you like.
Although at that point you might scare them off with your Contour obsession
From personal experience, I do not recommend an interest-free loan from one's parents. It's so hard to pay back. I still owe my parents more than a grand for my Probe (which I got rid of in 2003) and my sister does for her Saturn. I think my parents have just forgiven them by now, but still, money transactions within family are difficult. I'm "paying" it back in presents now that I have a salary
If she is over 18 I recommend a small car loan through a bank - or a small personal loan if the bank won't do a $1K loan. It's a great credit-builder especially if you have huge student loans (like me), and keeps you from being irresponsible with money. I can think of so many things I purchased with money that should have gone to my parents.
Out of the three choices, for the price range the Contour is probably your best bet. Although I fear it may potentially be the least reliable, at least the repairs are less costly. However, I am also extremely partial to Subarus
and an Impreza Sport Wagon is a neat idea for the money, while also being possibly cost-effective. Or a cheap Outback exampleSince your GF was in an accident: If you think her parents can stomach it, gather all of the totalled Contour pictures you can find on the site (there are a bunch of rollover ones too), compile them together with a Post-it on top saying "Everybody walked away from these with nothing more than bruises." One of the things I love about this car is its safety record. I have a scanned Cartalk article about a totalled Contour T-boned by a Suburban where Tom and Ray said (quote) "Be thankful for the protection the car did provide. The manufacturer obviously did something right." .. I can give you that scan if you like.
Although at that point you might scare them off with your Contour obsession
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zorrex
Enjoys the Abuse
Although at that point you might scare them off with your Contour obsession
I think I already succeeded in doing that. But, she's not 18, so she can't get a loan. This why it is so difficult, and also why I want her to get a Contour. I've been having Greg work on my car lately, and I'm sure he'd appreciate even more cash flow coming from my gf's potential car fixes. This keeps the Contour in the long run as the absolute cheapest and best car overall for her for the next couple years at the least. As long as CEG is here, that car will be running, and cheaply at that :shrug:. I mean, I'd love for her to get a nicer car like a Subaru or a Nissan or something, but it isn't feasible...
Goonz SVT
Hard-core CEG'er
neon owns a contour..duh
lol jk
lol jk
Geez Hitmann.