Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Should I buy a Contour?

I recently wrecked my 240sx and I came across what looks like a good deal. A 1999 Contour SE V6 auto with 120k miles for $1850.

I realize this is a Contour enthusaists forum and you guys are partial to your cars, but I hope you can give me a honest unbiased opinion. I've had good experiences with previous forums, everyone there helped me out and I tried to return the favor.

I drive for a living, and what I need now to get back on my feet financially is something reliable. If this car fails on me not only do I have to spend money fixing it, I loose out on potential income.

How long does the engine/auto tranny last? This car already has 120k miles on it..I don't mind putting money in this vehicle to improve performance, but I can't be pouring money into it to simply keep it running.

I've always liked the Contour SVT's, but those are out of my price range now. The V6 seems to be a good performer, and I'm assuming you can really open up the engine with some minor mods. What's an average 1/4 mile time for an auto V6? Hows the handling?

This seems like a pretty good deal but I need this car to last at least another 40k before any major work.

I was also looking at the Mazda MX-6 LS/Probe GT. The Contour seems to be a cheaper initial investment($2k vs $4k), but how does it compare with reliablity and overall performance potential?

So I guess the big question is...should I buy this car or look elsewhere?

BTW if anyone needs any Carfax reports let me know, I have it for another 2-3 weeks.

Thanks for any help.

as much as i love this car, if you want something reliable stick with something japanese. i cant speak for everyone, but my old v6 contour had loads of problems after it hit the 120 mark. i never had any troubles on the auto tranny it had...even after 120, but there was something else always going wrong with it. luckily nothing major, just a couple hundred now and then to keep her going but that got to be a pain on my wallet. if you could do a lot of the maintanance work yourself it'd be ok...nothing major but thats just my experience.

You want reliable: ZETEC (4 Cylinder) Contour!


4 Banger is reliable, somewhat fast (at least mine is )

But a V6 is also reliable, just has some minor problems. If your lookin for a Daily Driver to work, just get a Zetec Contour

Mine is [censored] reliable

as always it depends on how well maintained the car was with the previous owner. If they were lazy then no its not gonna last you long at all. But if they took decent care of the car then I think you could last 40K more miles. My car has had a blown headgasket at 125K but there have been no real major issues...

there are some people who have reached even 200K here on original motor/tranny...

heres my outlook on it:
if its only $1850, why not?
If the thing is not a turd already I dont' see why it wouldn't last another 40K
If you can do your own mechanical work then I definitely would not worry
if you only need it for 40K then why not get the cheapest option? which is the tour

For the price, I don't think this car can be beaten...

First off, where do you live? There might be a CEGer nearby who is willing to go with you to check out the car and make SURE it's the way it's supposed to be. Second, if all that checks out, do a Carfax. There are people on here who have accounts and are willing to check out the car for ya. If those two things are all clear............hell yeah get the thing. For $1850, that's a damn good deal. Just be prepared to possibly change out the water pump right off, if it's not been done already. Better to be safe than sorry on that little thing.
I have a Zetec 4 cylinder and I love the thing. I am not going to be a happy camper come December when we are going to try to trade it in for a minivan. We have two kids, and another one on the way due in March. There's just not enough room for a 12 yr old and two car seats in the back of a Contour..........well, there IS, but it's extremely cramped.
While we are partial to the Contour, one thing you will find on this board is we are not afraid to tell you that yes, there are some Contours that are lemons.......but you get that with EVERY vehicle. Alot of Contour owners that would never buy another one are people who never took good care of these cars (ie: changing oil on time, tune ups) and that's why they had problems. If you do those things when you are supposed to, the Contour will last you a good while.
Good luck.

If you're looking for reliability, I would definately suggest a Manual Transmission. The V6 MTX combo is a blast! My 95 is/was a great car, and had no major problems besides the known waterpump issue. The Auto Tranny on these cars seems to a bit of an issue, but there are far less problems with the manuals.

The Duratec V6 won a bunch of awards for being a great engine. There seem to be very few non SVT related engine problems, especially with good maintenance. The SVTs appear to suffer from ocassional oil starvation. There isn't really a design change between them, but they are probably driven alot harder than regular V6s.

After that, most other maintenance and repairs can easily be completed by someone mechanically inclined, and for a fraction of the cost at a dealership. This website alone has saved me thousands of dollars by instructing you how to do most maintenance and repairs on your own, and helping you get discounted Ford OEM parts!

Good Luck. If you get it, this website can become addictive. You've been warned!

I'd say it's sort of a crapshoot. But then, you could say the same for just about any car with that many miles. But contours seem to be to one extreme or the other. Either hassle free or a major headache. If it was well maintained though I'd say go for it as the price seems good.

I think you'll find they're just as reliable as any Japanese car you can buy for $2,000, and you definitely won't fine anything with near the features for close to that price. Like you say it would be twice the money.

Outside of normal regular maintenance, you need to put a metal-impellar water pump in as soon as you buy it because the OEM's have a strong record of failure from 60k out.

Motor and tranny is good for 250k+ easy with oil changes every 3-5k.

Handling is great and can easily be made fantastic.

Performance is very good (MTX best) and can be easily improved without going into the motor. Exhaust and intake upgrades will net significant improvements. The motors are very strong and there is no need to open them up unless you go to forced-induction. If you want to go that route there are people here making 390 whp w/Turbo , but 185 whp is easy with just intake & exhaust.

Also, if you get one, you get to join a group wild and crazy people .

Good luck.

Regards, Alan

if it was well taken care of, then it should be a fairly good car. Do not get the probe, as reliable as they may sound. Parts are EXTREMELY expensive for them. Your only real alternative is the MX-6, Which is actually a probe with a Mazda body. The MX-6 in either V6 or I4 case has the same engine as the probe. Therefore parts are also extremely expensive for the MX-6. Whats great about the contour is if something breaks parts for it is extremely cheap compared to many other cars. If you can do your own auto work and prevenative maintenece, then you would be all set with a 99SE. Cars are money pits, In ANY case. You always have to pour money into any car. Some at different times then others. For 1800$ on a contour SE with the V6... Thats extremely cheap, even if it has 120K miles. But JUST IN CASE, pay to have it inspected. It could very well be worth it.