• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

Would You Buy A Contour Again?

royalblue said:
I've already bought another ,well that was four years ago when somebody totaled my 95 mystique ls :cry: but I guess time fly's when your driving fun:drool:. actually I would like to have one thats for sale here but cant talk the wife into the idea (funds are low)
Click to expand...


ah... that italian disease... "dafundsalow"
 
I'm thinking about getting a second contour in the spring.

The SVT was my dream car through highschool and I finally got one during college (5 years ago). I totaled its 2.5 years ago and am thinking of getting one as a toy this time around...
 
I would not buy a Contour...












I have a Styque... :D

( j/k in any case, I just picked up a 'tour that I will probably fix up to get it back on the road ).
 
Yes,
'99 SVT - bought new

But I should have sold it two years sooner and not modified it, waste of money when you realize how little the engine responds to bolt-on modifications.. I think the SVT was a more enjoyable car stock.
 
No, because of my height. I did have an offer this weekend to buy a stock CSVT though lol.

I've previously owned a hand-me-down 1995 GL V6/Auto. After all the problem this particular car had, I'd never buy a pre98 again. If I didn't have height restrictions, I'd definitely consider a post98.
 
mzracer360 said:
No, because of my height. I did have an offer this weekend to buy a stock CSVT though lol.

I've previously owned a hand-me-down 1995 GL V6/Auto. After all the problem this particular car had, I'd never buy a pre98 again. If I didn't have height restrictions, I'd definitely consider a post98.
Click to expand...

Your height? I'm 6'6" and the car fits me like a glove. At least without a helmet on it does.
 
I'm 6'7" if not more, and could barely fit in the 95. I have a bulging disk in my lower back, and having the seat all the way in the back didn't it help much. The seats had plenty of lumbar support but no upper back/shoulder support for a person my height. Maybe with a power seat that is able to adjust down, I could've fit better, but that was one of the few options that was missing for mine. :shrug:
 
- I found it to be the best bang for buck, same situation and finances, I probably would. Easy to maintain and work out (it's metric eh!). Now, most likely no, would I still admire the cars looks, absolutely!
- 1999 SVT (see sig)
- The CSVT was my first car, looked for cars for about 8 months before committing to the CSVT because I couldn't find something I liked and was comfortable owning until I came across the CSVT I still own today. I had a lot of exposure to cars in general, racing in the family, brought up with a father who did his own car work.
- I've rebuilt engines and done restorations on motorcycle so I'm pretty handy with a wrench, would be a professional mechanic if it paid 'well'. I service my own vehicles because I enjoy it and I save a buck or two.
 
Yes, I'd buy another one because I always liked the look of the SVT.

I just came to a point where I wanted to try other makes/models of cars so I decided to sell all my Contour stuff.

My next car will be a slightly used M3 or AMG Benz. I'd also like to own a 911 at some point in my life.
 
well, yes/no

if mine got into a wreck that was aesthetic, I would buy a blown one to drop all my parts on. I've done that with a few cars.

would I have bought this one I have again if given a do-over? no...

this car has had more major failures than anything I've ever owned, as well as spending the majority of it's life being worked on to one extent or another.

if i wind up having to start from scratch again, I'd get another subaru.

but for right now, I've replaced most of my 'tour with lower mile/better/ect parts and it's starting to shape up as a descent car. if I'd had the choice, I'd have had a cougar instead though. oh, and i would have got one with ABS. I foolishly assumed a 98 with a V6 and 4 wheel disk brakes would have ABS standard.

[edit]

left out, it's a 98.5 SE sport V6 mtx, 3l in progress, other things on deck for install
 
-Would you buy a Contour again based upon previously owning one?

Yes, but I definitely would not have bought the Zetec. Should have gotten a V6 Sport right away, but I thought the 4 cyl would have been better on gas, etc. Not really too much difference if you don't get on it ALL the time and the V6 would have been more fun to drive. That is why I bought my SVT. I love my Zetec, but needed something with a little more zip for fun driving in the summertime.

-What year/models have you owned?

1981 Ford Fairmont Inline 6, 1999 Contour SE Zetec, 1998 Contour SVT, 1999 Contour Sport V6

-What do you think your experiences with cars overall are (i.e., have you only been driving for a short time...is your Contour the only car you've ever owned...etc)

I've been driving for about 7 years now. I haven't owned too many cars, but the Contour seems to be a pretty dependable car when all the PM and regular maintenance is done to it. I beat on my Zetec and it's still going strong at 98k. The only major problem I've had with it was that stupid timing belt. The SVT probably wouldn't have lost it's second motor if the motor hadn't sat in a salvage yard for 3 years and then dropped right in my car by the previous owner. It did last for a couple years and a few trips to the road course though before the rings went.

-How much auto experience do you have with auto parts/maint? By this I don't mean can you tear down an engine on your own...but do you know what parts of a car are and what might've gone wrong if you had to fix anything.

Most everything I learned about working on cars I learned from my dad. He's been turning wrenches on cars since he was a kid. I can change the oil and I just did the 3L swap on my SVT without any problems. I've done most of the work on my Contour's if something needed to be fixed.
 
VIP said:
-Would you buy a Contour again based upon previously owning one?
Click to expand...
No. My Contour has given me good service for the four years I've had it, but there are a few things that could be better:
- I read that the ATX has had a lot of technical service bulletins. One of the biggest problems is that the fluid pressure is too high, which tends to cause the drum to crack. To the ATX's credit, I probably drove my car for tens of thousands of miles with a cracked drum (without knowing it) before the ATX started to fail.
- The PCV valve is tucked deep behind the exhaust manifold. If you can't get to it yourself, you'll end up giving your mechanic around $200 for something that on most other cars costs $5 and two minutes under the hood.
- The wheels have an unusual bolt pattern, so you're limited in upgrade choices.
- Because the model was made for a relatively small number of years, some aftermarket offerings aren't available. For example, Monroe doesn't offer a Quick-Strut (strut, spring, and associated hardware assembled and ready to install) for the Contour. Gabriel has a similar package, but they don't offer it for the Contour either. When replacing struts on a car with 100K miles, the full kit is a good way to go.
- Last I checked, the junkyards in my area didn't have any Contours or Mystiques; so I don't have that option for parts.
-What year/models have you owned?
Click to expand...
A '99 Contour ATX. I bought it at about 60K, and it now has 121K.
-What do you think your experiences with cars overall are (i.e., have you only been driving for a short time...is your Contour the only car you've ever owned...etc)
Click to expand...
I've been driving for over twenty years (with a break of a few years while living overseas). I've owned several cars.
-How much auto experience do you have with auto parts/maint? By this I don't mean can you tear down an engine on your own...but do you know what parts of a car are and what might've gone wrong if you had to fix anything. I'm betting most people here have some knowledge more than "the doohicky broke is what the mechanic told me," but it does help to know your background. This is definitely not to insult anyone's intelligence here, but I've got members of my own extended family who (really) would just say "The car broke and the mechanic fixed a doohicky...if you want to know what he did ask xx" (as in ask spouse/sister/brother).
Click to expand...
I know what most of the parts are and how they work. I'm not up on some of the computer controlled parts and usually defer to the pros for those things.
 
1.
I loved the Contour SVT once I first read my first magazine article about them. Once I got mine in '02 and had the rod bearing go on me somewhere about a year later, I fell far down the slippery slope of CEG.

I at first was going to simply fix the 2.5L, but my 2nd and 3rd gear syncro was toast from the first day that I got it. Then the plan changed to add an LSD, then it was modified to include a NA 3L w/ bolt-ons, and somehow that got switched to incorporate nitrous but it must have been a stepping stool to just throw caution and some smarts to the wind and just do evvvvvvverything I could think of BUT forged pistons and not go to an experienced tuner like Tom (Warmonger) but take it to some local yocal Ford craptastic shop. :mad:

Once it started to smoke like a James Bond trick that wouldn't turn off, I parted the mother :censored:er out and I had the shell :censored:ing crushed.

SwazoLF.jpg


Now.... after trolling on CEG for a few years since then, I am now looking for a 2000 T-Red CSVT. My dumb ass keeps toying with the idea of making one RWD or building a forged beast of a CSVT. But, the smarter side of me just wants a clean, mostly stock CSVT rolling around on wheels like Svttour's car. Compared to my F150, it would get much better gas mileage and would be a fun car for an every other day type of driver when a truck wasn't needed.

IMG_0273.jpg


2. An E0 CSVT, Ebony Black with a blue pearl

IMGP2668.jpg


IMGP2628.jpg


3. I've got a good 12 years of doing stuff like maintenance all the way to building a custom turbo kit.
 
- I would buy again because of the bang you get for the buck. This is a unique car. There aren't many on the street and you feel like you are driving something special. Very high fun factor, fairly good fuel efficiency, low insurance rates since it is basically a regular contour to insurance companies, who cares if you beat it up since it is not that expensive

- Some notable cars I have owned:
2001 BMW 325i - much better fit and finish, more convenience features, very well balanced, awesome brakes, great straight six, about as fuel efficient as the CSVT, rear wheel drive benefits, much more expensive to buy and maintain

2006 Nissan Altima SE-R - much more powerful engine, more convenience features, the 3.5 liter six works like a swiss watch and begs to be pushed, not as fuel efficient as the CSVT, more expensive but very reliable

- 2001 black CSVT

- I am pretty good with doing many basic maintenance and mods but have opted to leave these things to mechanics since I am no longer a teenager and would rather spend my time on other, more important, things like the family. I would recommend this car as a 2nd car because I feel it will need repairs fairly frequently, considering the reliability of these cars, age, etc.
 
I would definitely buy another Contour. I sold my 99 T red svt last spring for house down payment money. I'm hoping to get another SVT in the spring.

mike
 
I want another Contour, but it's become difficult to find a decent low mileage rust-free mtx Contique in Ontario. I might have to settle for a Focus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top