Hey! Welcome!
I drive a 1998 SVT EO, and IMHO I wouldn't drive anything else (except that S8 I've been dreaming of for years)

. The thing that many people are afraid of when purchasing a Contour is that it has been reported to be mechanically unreliable.

I'm not saying that my SVT has been trouble free, but it is all worth it when you pull up and no one has a car remotely like yours.
The one thing that I can honestly say is a definite plus if you are concerned about repairs is - the CEG. I know it sounds weird, but I drove my SVT for 2 confusing years before stumbling on the CEG, and everyone here is 100x more helpful with my "stupid" questions than the dealer or any mechanic would be, and everyone knows what they are talking about(b/c some of them are Ford mechanincs), and through the forum, you are bound to find help with any question you have, 24 hours a day.
My advice to you, is when you are purchasing a Contour, or any car, research the specific car, not just the model. I made the mistake of buying the SVT on the first day I saw it. I walked up to the car, saw the "SVT" emblem and said, "Sold! to the tall skinny kid!" I bought it used from an Acura dealer with 55k on it. I would highly,HIGHLY recommend buying an extended warranty with ANY car purchase as well, it may be $1k, but you can sleep safe knowing that anything major is covered. Saved me $10k!! Not kidding. One month after buying the SVT, I was driving up 94 to St. Cloud and blew the engine. Granted, I was goin' 147 1/2 m.p.h.

, but I got a new engine, a tow back to the dealer, a tow to the nearest SVT dealer, and all for $50. Not to mention all the little things that sparatically go wrong that the dealer would normally charge up the wazoo to fix. Labor costs are a b*tch!! There have been some frustrating problems as well, like the throttle hang, but those problems are quickly solved through the CEG member group.
IMHO, with all of the elements that are currently in place, no other car can beat the Contour. Except maybe the $80,000 S8.....

Maybe I am not the best salesman, but ask anyone on the main forum and I bet dollars to donuts, they'll all give you the same answer. -cv