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Yeah! Go read that post by Terry Haines in the W. Michigan forum! Terry's not folding his support for the Contour/Cougar! I did not get a chance to get stuff for my car last year because I was still paying my car off, and had a job that pays a little more than minimum wage. Now that I'm making 3x as much as last year, I'm saving up a good chunk of my money for mod's. Now that Terry's probably won't be developing on the adjustable lower control arm for us anymore, I'm going to put my $40 down with Micah to get the TB done!
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Originally posted by Antonio Wright:
After just viewing my post again I totally typed that wrong. If I did not get your post oh well then I did not get it. Oh and by the way ***** I don't take threats lightly be that they are over the internet or to my face. So as I say [b]AGAIN you better check your tone son.
-Antonio[/b] If you mistyped something, then don't blame others for reading it wrong, it was your mistake. And obviously using profanity doesn't help.
99 SVT Contour
02 Protege5
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Joined: May 2001
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Antonio I didn't threathen you, I meant 'Slapping you around not in a literal sense but as a term to WakeUP!!! Us Island people use that term alot, maybe that's why somebody always ends up in the Hospital  If I did mean it in a literal sense I'm sure my Shoot Fighting and Grappling Skills wouldn't mean anything to you 'FATHER,' right!! I'm one of the few Mellow Hawaiians (part Italian) , Tolerant you might say, so in any case you could probably count that as a blessing!  You know if you feel that you don't fall in this category, that's great, more power to you any anyone else, in fact I applaud you. I'm actually concerned about those that have taken the path I highly don't suggest, so there you have it!!! Obviously my focus is less on me as it is on the True Pioneers, I hope you follow ME!!! Aloha, Ioane Micah 
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Antonio I didn't threathen you, I meant 'Slapping you around not in a literal sense but as a term to WakeUP!!! Us Island people use that term alot, maybe that's why somebody always ends up in the Hospital , You know if you feel that you don't fall in this category, that's great, more power to you any anyone else, in fact I applaud you. I'm actually concerned about those that have taken the path I highly don't suggest, so there you have it!!! Obviously my focus is less on me as it is on the True Pioneers, I hope you follow ME!!! Aloha, Ioane Micah I sent you a PM a few hours ago. I hope that clears this matter up. -Antonio
99' SVT
86' Toyota Pickup Beater - Tha Daily Driver
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Originally posted by gdub520: only rules to this post:
1. no hair pulling
2. no kicking eachother in the ball bag
when the bell rings come out $itch slappin I like you already!!! You get an Automatic discount REF
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We do not have enough customer base to justify R&D on performance parts.
Take MAC, they've been making cold air intakes for Mustangs for years. They have all the parts and knowledge to easily mass produce a system for our cars. Their R&D department said "Not enough customer base"
It's hard to get an after market for a car that wasn't marketed very well and is no longer produced.
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Originally posted by Fett: Well, a lot of things were hit on with this thread, I will try to give my opinion on all of them.
As for Contour and Cougar owners wanting to save a "buck or two", that has a lot to do with a few things. For starters, my experience has shown that the average Cougar/Contour owner is NOT a teenager, and has other bills to worry about. Typically we are not spending all of our minimum wage pay check on our cars. But the main thing would be the cost of aftermarket parts for the Contour/Cougar. Compare prices on things for our cars, to the majority of the import scene. That is even if the parts exist, which many do not. Let's take headers for an example. Currently there are two companies that make headers for our cars, MSDS and the Mustang ones (forgot name), and those go for $1500. The MSDS headers are the cheapest version out there, and they are still $600...for not the greatest quality headers. Not ripping on MSDS in any way, I have heard wonderful things about Marty's customer service and products. But it's not like these are SS, they will not last as long as a $600 set of headers should. Granted, a dual bank set of headers should be more money than a single bank header for a 4-cyl. But you can get SS headers for a good amount of import cars for under $200. And those will last forever. This is because there are only two companies making them, and only one selling them sucessfully. So as supply and demand dictates, the company making the product has complete control over the price. When more companies start making headers for our cars, you will see the price come way down. So in this instance, the average owner has two choices, spend the $600 on the headers, or hollow out the stock manifolds for free. Obviously the "gain" will not be the exact same, but for the cost, you can't beat it.
This is true with a lot of products for our cars, especially on the performance side of things. The less companies make for us, the higher the cost. Look at turbo kits, they are going to be $4000+...because it's not like there are ten companies making them for us. So they get to set the price.
As far as owner support being weak, I think some companies need to look at things from our perspective. I, for one, would NEVER commit to pay, let alone actually pay, for a product that is not currently out on the market. That is financial suicide. If a product is already out there, on Duratec engines, showing good quality, long life, and good results, then I will be willing to spend money on it. But I sure as hell would NEVER put a deposit on a product that is not ready to ship. I understand a company not wanting to produce a product that does not have any demand, but that is what product research is for. I can't think of any other time where a company wants people to pay for a product, BEFORE they decide to actually make said product. If a company wants to be sucessful, they need to put the time and money into researching a potential product. Produce the product in limited quantinies, market it, test it, and sell it. If they sell quickly, and feedback is positive, then they start mass producing the product. That is how normal companies make products, they take the chance, not the consumer. I sure as hell would not walk into a shoe store and hand them $50 in hopes that they make a shoe that I will like....that is stupid. It's up to Nike to take a chance on a product. Sure they will lose sometimes, and a product will not sell, but that is business.
The demand for aftermarket products is simply not that strong for the Cougar/Contour right now, and I don't think it ever will be for the Contour. I had no idea that Ford even made an SVT version of the Contour until last year, and when I found it out, my first thought was "why the hell would they waste their time?" Of course now I know, and I am glad they did. But from an "outsiders" point of view, it's not like the Contour would be on the top of my list for cars to modify. Now the Cougar has a chance because of it's look, it is designed to fight the import cars...with looks alone mind you. Performance is obviously weaker than that of the Contour, that's why we are always trying to get our hands on SVT parts. 
Give it another year, when the Cougars start coming back in from leases, and they start selling used...really cheap. Then teenagers will start scarfing them up left and right, so the demand for aftermarket products will increase, dramatically. Look at the first gen Eclipse, the aftermarket was not that strong for it up until 98 or so, four years after the generation change. By then, first gen Eclipses were selling used, cheap. That was one of the reasons I traded mine in on my Cougar, because the aftermarket was so weak, that I didn't want to wait any longer, I figured that four years had passed since they changed the style, so I assumed the aftermarket would never pick up. So I bought a Cougar, now Alanis...that is ironic.
The percentage of Cougar and Contour owners, who want aftermarket products, compared to owners who do not...is very small. Now take that small percentage of owners who do want aftermarket products, and get the percentage of those who can, or are willing, to spend a ton of money on their Cougar/Contour, for aftermarket products. Now the percentage is even smaller. Over the next year, the demand will increase due to more and more younger people buying them. And let's face facts, it's the demand from the "Fast and Furious" teenagers who really push the demand for aftermarket performance and cosmetic products for cars. Give it a year, the demand will increase, and the products will follow...and the prices will begin to fall. I predict that we will be able to buy a set of SS headers for the Duratec for $300-$400, in a year and a half.
Of course I could be totally off base, it's not like it would be the first time. ie. Trading an Eclipse in for a Cougar because there was no aftermarket for the Eclipse.AMEN Brother!
98.5 CSVT
CTA open air element
Otherwise stock
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Originally posted by SILVA BULLITT: HOOOOOOOOO Let me take a breather!!!!
You can't compare NIKE to my company nore any others here. I understand your point, but you don't have the right perspective on this. Most products that have come out for any vehicle was produced by a large manufacter, other companies leached off of there success to make similar ones and so the story goes!
If you think that a small company like mine will just cough up around $5000 for production of a Throttle Body, which is around what it's gonna cost me, in a market with unstable support, you must be CRAZY!!! Now as far as proof, there is more than enough proof that optimizing the stock TB produces positive gains, slapping on a 65mm Mustang TB with proper mods also results in good gains and anyway it's not as if we need a rocket scientist to figure that more air in results in more hp/tq, I mean that is why you put a open element Filter or a Larger MAF. If it works on most other cars that have one available, that's a pretty good record of it's success on just about any vehicle when properly used. As an example the same TB for the SOHC Neon resulted in 5 more hp @wheels. This Discussion is Directed not at my Throttle Body but at the overall stability of the Aftermarket Support here. In any case this is to make aware to Contour Enthusiast of probably what many of those that live and breath on this site work so hard to do, FEEL! Well, theres not much to say about the stability of the Vortech supercharger, sure glad I did'nt get one
98.5 CSVT
CTA open air element
Otherwise stock
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Guys all said and done, it is great that you all are making parts for the contours but to a family man $40.00 is alot of groceries. and if it comes down to not having parts then so be it, I'll buy another 'stang
98.5 CSVT
CTA open air element
Otherwise stock
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Man, you people can write..... this is damn near a book........ I agree we should support people from within........ But ofcourse, my eyes hurt after I read the first post.........
"Nothing like coming off the on ramp in 3rd gear. Just let her eat and enjoy the awesome sound she makes. Ahhh, the joys of an SVT."
'98 SVT
#3754
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