Nothing will EVER compare to my Contour....

im starting to feel liek i paid to much for my 98 s.e. i paid a lil over $10,000 back in december of 2002. it only had 29,000 on it and i think they put in a new interior and the car looked mint plus i realy wanted it. when it comes ot camry v6 they are prety cool but you can only get a v6 5 speed with a 2 door. and after a certain year you could only get a 5 speed on the 4 cylinder camrys and solaras. the maximas are realy cool if you can fnd one with a 5 speed. im not sure of wether you want a stick or auto but seems obvious that you want a v6 sedan. i dont blame you i couldnt go back to a 4 banger after having a v6 your.

Originally posted by cvkillacontour98:
im starting to feel liek i paid to much for my 98 s.e. i paid a lil over $10,000 back in december of 2002. it only had 29,000 on it and i think they put in a new interior and the car looked mint plus i realy wanted it.

I hate to say it, but I think you did! Although the car was mint condition, that is a bit much. In 3/2001 we bought ours for nearly $1400 cheaper than that, with 24K miles and in nearly perfect condition, from a Ford dealership no less.

My suggestion would be a Hyundai Elantra GLS for $9,995 or lower.

The Elantra came in 2nd place in Car & Drivers comparo test of 10 budget compacts.
They raved about the engine 140HP, standard features list is very long and it handled well. Don't forget the 10yr warranty.
Current price in my Sunday paper are GLS 5spd or Auto for $9,995.

I would give the new Suzuki lineup a chance as well if your looking to keep it around $10K as financing is cheaper/easier on a new vehicle.

just because a car is listed in auto trader doesn't mean that you can't finance. many dealers list cars there to move them, & they will finance.

I wouldnt recomend a hyundai, that warranty comes in handy cause things break alot...Find an SVT, even if you pay a little more you WILL NOT be disapointed.

Keep hunting for a Contour or a Cougar if you don't need the extra doors - each with a V-6, of course. The 4 cylinder is not all that bad in these cars either. Its a bit dated, but produces some respectable power to move the car along. Generally more reliable, & its a non-interference engine, so broken timing belts won't grenade the whole motor like on the Japanese cars.

Don't forget about the Mystique. They usually come standard with leather & a few other nice extras.

The Mazda was a good thought too, but I'd do a little reliability research on it first. I'm familiar with the Rotary cars, not the sedans.

Originally posted by cvkillacontour98:
when it comes ot camry v6 they are prety cool but you can only get a v6 5 speed with a 2 door. and after a certain year you could only get a 5 speed on the 4 cylinder camrys and solaras.

Sadly, manual gearbox is no longer available with the V6 on Camry or Solara (not that the stick in either car makes it vastly more exciting to drive...just a lot quicker). 2001 was the final year for the V6/stick combo on the Camry, and 2002 for the Solara.

Too bad, too, since in the past year Toyota has unveiled its buttery smooth and powerful 3.3 Litre 3MZ-FE, which--backed by a limp-shifting, econo-minded slushbox--only posts mid-15's in the Camry & Solara. Nothing like being denied access to a great engine.

Camry is certainly a great all-around car if you think you can stand the anonymity and don't mind the floaty ride. But don't come looking for excitement unless it involves 3 pedals on the floor and a set of Eibach's and Tokico's.

Originally posted by topgunz_1:
I wouldnt recomend a hyundai, that warranty comes in handy cause things break alot...Find an SVT, even if you pay a little more you WILL NOT be disapointed.

Read consumer reports. Get back to me on the above once you do.

Hyundais have become extremely reliable since there new models introduced in 2001. Buying a used 1999 Contour with no warranty or buying a new 2004 with a 10yr warranty seems like a no-brainer to me. if your budget is 10K then get the best car you can with the money. Buying a car without a warranty complicates the matter if your on a budget due to the high cost of unforseeable repairs. If looking for dependabe transportation in a compact I can see no wrong with a NEW Hyundai.

Sure my SVT has been relaible but most people on this site [censored] and moan about the reliability!

Kari~
If you finance another car, don't go through the dealership. Talk to a bank or better yet a credit union first. Credit unions are alot easier to work with and almost always will have your best interest in mind first.

Find a vehicle you like, can afford, best suits your needs and not wants and then take that information to the bank/credit union.

Going through your own financial institution first will get you a better deal all around.

Good luck

Mike

I suggest a 1998 Acura Integra GS sedan. It compares quite favorably to a Contour, has better reliability, is roughly the same size, and is pretty fun to drive. A quick check of the Carmax site shows several available for $11,000, so you should be able to do better in a private sale for under $10,000.

Lee K

Originally posted by Fmr12B:
My suggestion would be a Hyundai Elantra GLS for $9,995 or lower.

The Elantra came in 2nd place in Car & Drivers comparo test of 10 budget compacts.
They raved about the engine 140HP, standard features list is very long and it handled well. Don't forget the 10yr warranty.
Current price in my Sunday paper are GLS 5spd or Auto for $9,995.

I would give the new Suzuki lineup a chance as well if your looking to keep it around $10K as financing is cheaper/easier on a new vehicle.

an integra is so much smaller than a contour. maybe it's about the same as an escort

Quote:

Kari~
If you finance another car, don't go through the dealership. Talk to a bank or better yet a credit union first. Credit unions are alot easier to work with and almost always will have your best interest in mind first.

Find a vehicle you like, can afford, best suits your needs and not wants and then take that information to the bank/credit union.

Going through your own financial institution first will get you a better deal all around.

Good luck

Mike

That works for some people, but not usually younger people without extensive (10 years) banking history.

On my Mazda6, My bank (WellsFargo) offered 13%, my employee credit union offered 7%, and Mazda offered 3%. And it wasn't a special deal rate either.

The loan officer at my bank just flat out told me that they'd never be able to get anywhere near the rate offered by a dealership on a car. The dealership has a vested interest in moving that car off the lot and will offer whatever it takes -- a bank is the one taking the risk and wants to cover themselves.

With a horrible market for both new and used cars loan rates have plummetted into the range of 0-4% for new cars and 4-6% for used cars. At best a really good credit union might knock off 1% on a used car, but there's just no competing with the new car rates.

If your able to travel to pick up a vehicle you can get some good deals on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31832&item=2455581432

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31832&item=2455935506

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31832&item=2455741782

I wishi could pick up the first one

Originally posted by 69Boss302:
an integra is so much smaller than a contour. maybe it's about the same as an escort

1998 Acura GS Dimensions

Exterior
Length: 178.1 in. Width: 67.3 in.
Height: 53.9 in. Wheel Base: 103.1 in.
Ground Clearance: 5.9 in. Curb Weight: 2722 lbs.
Interior
Front Head Room: 38.9 in. Front Hip Room: 50.7 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 52 in. Rear Head Room: 36 in.
Rear Shoulder Room: 50.3 in. Rear Hip Room: 49.9 in.
Front Leg Room: 42.2 in. Rear Leg Room: 32.7 in.
Luggage Capacity: 11 cu. ft. Maximum Seating: 4

1998 Ford Contour

Exterior
Length: 185.3 in. Width: 69.1 in.
Height: 54.5 in. Wheel Base: 106.5 in.
Curb Weight: 2774 lbs.
Interior
Front Head Room: 39 in. Front Hip Room: 50.7 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 53.9 in. Rear Head Room: 36.8 in.
Rear Shoulder Room: 53.3 in. Rear Hip Room: 45.5 in.
Front Leg Room: 42.4 in. Rear Leg Room: 34.4 in.
Luggage Capacity: 13.9 cu. ft. Maximum Seating: 5

As you can see, the Contour and the Integra have nearly identical front seat room. The back seat is smaller in the Acura, but I suspect that Kari doesn't have a family of four to cart around at the moment. It is still entirely possbile to get one for the $10,000 that she is willing to spend.

Lee K

Originally posted by Lee K:

Originally posted by 69Boss302:
an integra is so much smaller than a contour. maybe it's about the same as an escort

As you can see, the Contour and the Integra have nearly identical front seat room. The back seat is smaller in the Acura, but I suspect that Kari doesn't have a family of four to cart around at the moment. It is still entirely possbile to get one for the $10,000 that she is willing to spend.

Acura is a nice car, but 2 inches of front shoulder room makes a world of difference to me. I'm a big guy though. If the Contour was any smaller, I wouldn't have bought it.

When I was shopping for my car (had been driving my wife's Contour for a while since she had a company car), I tried out a '98 Integra sedan, and the shoulder room and the overall feel was lacking, surprisingly. I've owned two Integras before getting into Contours, but test-driving this one, I was shocked at how much I didn't want it. When it comes to buying used, I'm much more tuned into buying good-condition Contours and spending some extra bucks on the common tuneup items.

Buying new, I'd be looking at a Mazda6 first, then probably Subarus.

Originally posted by TourDeForce:
Acura is a nice car, but 2 inches of front shoulder room makes a world of difference to me. I'm a big guy though. If the Contour was any smaller, I wouldn't have bought it.

I agree with you, as I'm a pretty big guy myself (6'3", 200 LBS). The Integra is too small for me. I'm going on the assumption that Kari, being female, is close to the national average in size for US females (5'4" and 120 LBS) and therefore wouldn't find the front seat room of an Integra to be lacking. The Integra's performance matches a non-SVT Contour pretty well, with the added plus of better reliability (statistically, going by Consumer Reports annual ratings).

Anyway, she asked for suggestions, and I made one. I wish her the best of luck in her search.

Lee K
98 SVT, silver
03 Evo, red

Originally posted by Lee K:
Anyway, she asked for suggestions, and I made one. I wish her the best of luck in her search.

<S> (salute)

Thanks Lee! Your suggestion was a valid, good, & sincere offering. Your intent was not lost on me, & I'm sure Karri appreciated it too.

Originally posted by Fmr12B:

Originally posted by topgunz_1:
I wouldnt recomend a hyundai, that warranty comes in handy cause things break alot...Find an SVT, even if you pay a little more you WILL NOT be disapointed.

Read consumer reports. Get back to me on the above once you do.

I've known of several with nice tranny problems, like not going into reverse, not shifting, etc. But that isnt just what I mean. I see alot on the road with things like brake and headlights burned out...not major stuff but aggravating on a new car.

My wifes cousin has had two Hyundai cars. Been great for her - only problem with the first one is she wrecked it twice & still got over 130k miles out of it. The newer one has been flawless.

Personally, I'd buy one on a budget, if it were comfortable enough for me (which they're not. I'm old & need comfort). 10 year warranty, can't sneeze at that. Cheap lookin' plastic - who cares. On a budget I'd rather have cheap plastic for 200k miles than nice leather dead in my car port.

how about looking at a late 90's volvo 850 or s70 t-5. You can find them for about 10 grand, and they are pretty powerful (225 hp and 225 torque). Volvo is known to be reliable, and would be much nicer than any contour.

Quote:

how about looking at a late 90's volvo 850 or s70 t-5. You can find them for about 10 grand, and they are pretty powerful (225 hp and 225 torque). Volvo is known to be reliable, and would be much nicer than any contour.

I agree completely. Even cheaper though. My friend bought his for $4000 with 90K miles on it. v6, 10 cd changer. Volvo's run for a long time, but when one thing goes, everything goes. It ends up costing a lot in the long run when the car goes bad.

I test drove a 2000 Hyundai Tiburon. I was generally impressed with it's handling and interior. It comes in a 2.0L 4-cyl, 2.7L v-6 auto, 5spd, and 6spd.

However,for a turbo, it's horsepower is lame @ ~170.

You could also look into an older model Nissan Maxima. Those are similar in interior size and horsepower. though I think the nissan has more.

I too totaled my contour, and have yet find a suitable replacement, when I drove her up on the flatbed, it just wasn't right, i felt so right in that car. my new ride until i find a new one is a 91 tempo gl, wow this car gave me a new found love for the contour that I once had. The tempo is just plain uncomfortable, but I drive it because it was free.

Good luck on finding a new car, and just like you I still need to find a replacement

Originally posted by TourDeForce:
My wifes cousin has had two Hyundai cars. Been great for her - only problem with the first one is she wrecked it twice & still got over 130k miles out of it. The newer one has been flawless.

Personally, I'd buy one on a budget, if it were comfortable enough for me (which they're not. I'm old & need comfort). 10 year warranty, can't sneeze at that. Cheap lookin' plastic - who cares. On a budget I'd rather have cheap plastic for 200k miles than nice leather dead in my car port.

I hear you. If I was in the position to by new I would seriously consider the Hyundai Sonata/Kia Optima. They've come a long way since their intros. The Kia Amanti at around $25-26K seems to good to be true. One thing I noticed at the last auto show I went to was on the new Suzukis. They don't make a big deal out of it, but one of the items on the stickers was "timing chain" on all, even the 4 cyl. Their warranties are good too. Haven't replaced the Misty's timing belt yet...hoping I don't have to.

Originally posted by frenchblueC2:
From the CEG classifieds. these cars are in MI:

Quote:

Posted on 01/20/2004 by infinitemethod
This ad expires on 02/19/2004
Located in: MI

2000 Contour SVT for sale
64,000 miles, mostly highway going to and from work and school.
black with tan interior.
very clean.
fully sync oil every 3500 miles
$10,000 or b/o

Quote:

Posted on 01/15/2004 by allenSVT
This ad expires on 02/14/2004
Located in: MI

1998.5 Contour SVT.
Black/Midnight Blue
101,xxx miles.
Overall good condition.

Has upgraded intake and exhaust, and steering wheel.
Comes with: Pioneer Premier CD Player & 6 disk changer.
Factory Cassette head unit, and factory 6 disk changer.
Fully wired for a complete system.
Has a wall behind the seats, with a center view window.
Can be removed easy.
Painted rear center.
Mesh grill upfront.. (has a hole) I have enough material to finish the whole car.

Located in South-Eastern Michigan.

The Bad: Has a cracked center tail, and right tail.
I've dropped the price because of this.

Buying a SUV, dont need this anymore. Awesome car.
$4,500 OBO

scrolling through the classifieds just now kinda makes me wish I was in the market for a used SVT.

me too, damn 4500, [censored], I just bought my 99 se sport 54k for 8950 plus like 1300 in interests. I feel dumb!

Originally posted by Fmr12B:
My suggestion would be a Hyundai Elantra GLS for $9,995 or lower.

The Elantra came in 2nd place in Car & Drivers comparo test of 10 budget compacts.
They raved about the engine 140HP, standard features list is very long and it handled well. Don't forget the 10yr warranty.
Current price in my Sunday paper are GLS 5spd or Auto for $9,995.

I would give the new Suzuki lineup a chance as well if your looking to keep it around $10K as financing is cheaper/easier on a new vehicle.

Hyundia, I have to admit, has some sweet ass looking cars. not much power in most of them though.

Originally posted by nasty1:

Originally posted by Fmr12B:
My suggestion would be a Hyundai Elantra GLS for $9,995 or lower.

The Elantra came in 2nd place in Car & Drivers comparo test of 10 budget compacts.
They raved about the engine 140HP, standard features list is very long and it handled well. Don't forget the 10yr warranty.
Current price in my Sunday paper are GLS 5spd or Auto for $9,995.

I would give the new Suzuki lineup a chance as well if your looking to keep it around $10K as financing is cheaper/easier on a new vehicle.

I agree. After all, look at the title of the post. I'm on my second Contour, and if anything happened to it (God forbid), I'd look for another one. My 2000 SVT had about 44K when I bought it, ran great then and now runs even better modded, turns alot of heads, and cost me an even $10G about 6 months ago. Maybe I'm missin something, but this is a Contour site, not a Japanese, Korean, etc, site. My vote is for another Contique. I don't need a lecture, this is just the way I feel. I love my SVT!!

PS. I found the car on Autotrader and financed through the dealer. Their rate was better than my bank or credit union.

Originally posted by topgunz_1:
I wouldnt recomend a hyundai, that warranty comes in handy cause things break alot...Find an SVT, even if you pay a little more you WILL NOT be disapointed.

Not for nothing Hyundai's are very reliable. I have a 96 Mercedes C220, a 98 Tour LX and a 98 Hyundai Accent. I bought the accent brand new and now has about 130000 miles on it and still runs great like it is brand new. Just my 5 cents on the hyundai.

Originally posted by wa2tuff:

Originally posted by nasty1:

Originally posted by Fmr12B:
My suggestion would be a Hyundai Elantra GLS for $9,995 or lower.

The Elantra came in 2nd place in Car & Drivers comparo test of 10 budget compacts.
They raved about the engine 140HP, standard features list is very long and it handled well. Don't forget the 10yr warranty.
Current price in my Sunday paper are GLS 5spd or Auto for $9,995.

I would give the new Suzuki lineup a chance as well if your looking to keep it around $10K as financing is cheaper/easier on a new vehicle.

I agree. After all, look at the title of the post. I'm on my second Contour, and if anything happened to it (God forbid), I'd look for another one. My 2000 SVT had about 44K when I bought it, ran great then and now runs even better modded, turns alot of heads, and cost me an even $10G about 6 months ago. Maybe I'm missin something, but this is a Contour site, not a Japanese, Korean, etc, site. My vote is for another Contique. I don't need a lecture, this is just the way I feel. I love my SVT!!

PS. I found the car on Autotrader and financed through the dealer. Their rate was better than my bank or credit union.

lol, I agreem hyst thought I would state they kinda look nice. But no comparison. My family has been through 5 contours so far. I am the proud 5th owner, and just sold my 95 wednesday night.

Wait till the Futura comes out

Originally posted by topgunz_1:
I wouldnt recomend a hyundai, that warranty comes in handy cause things break alot...Find an SVT, even if you pay a little more you WILL NOT be disapointed.

I know somebody with a 95 Accent and a 98 Accent and they have reported ZERO problems, except for a busted door handle on the 95, no big deal.

Originally posted by topgunz_1:
I see alot on the road with things like brake and headlights burned out...not major stuff but aggravating on a new car.

LOL! I didn't realize early bulb failure was a Hyundai exclusive.