Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Ford Fusion

I saw this post about the replacment/reattempt of the contour...the fusion....

http://www.beepbeep.com/Global/story.asp?S=1500169

a direct quote...

Ford has been unsuccessful in some previous attempts to sell mid-size sedans, including the Contour. The car, which was introduced in late 1990s, was taken off the market due to poor sales.

"We think it (Fusion) is more in line, far more in line, with the mid-size car market than what the Contour was," Barker said. "We think Ford will do pretty well with that car."

Boy was they wrong seeing how all thses members here own contours! poor sales eh?

Most of the members here bought their cars used, and the numbers didn't add up.

But the new Fusion has a bigger interior and is a true mid size, while Tours were really compacts.

in that same article they mention the synus. my uncle's company built that. it is absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary. but i think thats why i like it. 45" plasma screen in the back vault door. completely bulletproof all the way around. press a button and shields come over the windows and headlights. built on a fiesta platform! he said it weighed so much that they blew out a tranny trying to drive it up about a 15 degree slope.

One thing the Fusion won't have is the group of people associated from the begining (CEG), especially those enginneers at Ford and Visteon that helped many of us get the real answers to problems and the cost cutting that caused the problems.
Many helped us as they could and then someone decided helping the consumer in this manner was not good for business nor profits.
Cann't have their dirty laundry being exposed?

I'm sure there are many others still here that know more than I and many that are no longer here? But the the bottom line is it's made owning & living with my "Mistake" a real joy.
I'm still in contact with an engineer at Visteon who is more than happy to answer technical details. His new jobs, family obligations and most important cancellation of the Contiques he has moved on to other endeavors.
To be very truthful I'm very scheptical of having buy another car without the help that CEG site has bought. Just knowing the real story either a dealer won't tell or Ford won't tell the dealer.
Too bad so many that's helped me are not on here any more, but Thanks to all for sharing.

Paul 98 Mystique LS built (07/97). I'll own til ?

Not sure how many are checking into the Edmunds site I like to the Ford marketing guy straight "ant14" Well he sure sounds like one?

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX?14@188.dZosbfClVzg.9@.ef15975

Also article in Automobile March 2005 Ceg's might find interesting about Ford and finally getting back to cars. Decent cars for the masses! Jamie Kitman's NVH p111.
I'm sure it will be available on the web site www.automobilemag.com I'll add later, someone just had an oops at Daytona!
I don't believe it's on-line until next month?

Contour?

I'm still waiting for that perfect Tempo replacement.

As for sales, what do we have, here, a few thousand members? Ford needed to sell, what, a couple hundred thousand of these a year to catch up with Honda and Toyota and recoup development costs, etc.

Ford is a volume car producer, not a boutique.

But here, this fat cow shat a diamond that nobody knew what to do with.

I'll spare the theorizing and speculation of what woulda-coulda-shoulda been, as it's been rehashed ad nauseum...