Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Seeking advice from some knowledgable svt souls

Hey folks- I'm a new member, just signed up about five minutes ago and earlier this morning I agreed to purchase my first car, a silver 1998 SVT with 35,000 miles on it, for $8000. The car is immaculate on the inside, drives beautifully, and looks great... until you get real close! The current owner bought the car a year ago after it had been in an accident. He had the work done to replace the front bumper, the hood, a fender, and the radiator. Otherwise everything about the car appears to be solid. He is selling because he just finished his graduate degree and is returning to his native country where he had hoped, but found out he couldn't, bring the car. The guy seems real honest (he was very forth coming about the body work) so, assuming the integrity of the car is solid and the only real blemish is the not so perfect repainting of the new body panels, do you think I have a decent deal on my hands or should I run and hide in the nearest hole! I really appreciate any and all input!

Well I'm not going to say what I paid for mine...and I mean that in a way that is good for you. I got $3k more on my trade-in than anywhere else, plus the car was in great shape, aside for some dings here and there. Well that $3k dissipated in the first three weeks when I had $2k in repairs done (most was under warranty, but not all). I also found out I have snow tires on there, that's a minimum of $500, plus a possible blown front strut (and those who know me know I have to replace the whole suspension with only the best because of this), and about $1200 in body work (the dents were too sharp to take out paintlessly.

But the most expensive thing about the car is the mod bug...stay away from that if you enjoy having a positive bank account.

EDIT: I noticed I didn't answer your question. Of course the SVT is worth the money. You can only ask yourself if it's a good deal after you've owned it.

I think you should go for it if its the car you want and it checks out mechanically. You should also consider trying to find a 99 or 2000 SVT that has that extra horsepower that the 98 doesn't have. just my input G

Well I say you should talk to me first. I have owned TWO SVT contours. I will not give you any BS on how great this car is. Give me a holla at wright_antonio@hotmail.com or Aim me at: Nvmytght98svt Good luck!

-Antonio

You already have a 98.5 In your Signature. Do you own one already??

So the car is still under factory warranty? Anyhow do you own it? If not yet like the said have your mechanic check it out and then get a car fax....

I would never consider buying a car which has been involved in an accident. I would pay more for a car with a neet history.

If you already noticed that the paint job is visibly poor, what about the things that have been done and which are invisible?

Good luck!

Take it to a good body shop and ask them to look it over and tell you what they think of the quality of the repair. You should not be afraid of doing this any more than you should be afraid of taking it to a mechanic to tell you about the mechanical soundness of the car. That should help you make a more informed decision.

Thanks for all the replies and advice everyone. You all have real sound advice. I've been wanting an SVT Contour ever since they came out but couldn't afford one until now. I had been thinking about getting a Focus SVT but when I saw this one in the paper I thought it looked like a good deal. I think it makes a lot of sense to take the car to a good mechanic and body shop for a professional opinion. Can anyone recommend a good shop in the DC area?

My Dad owns a real nice 1995 SHO which he has let me drive on occasion and after we both test drove the Contour SVT yesterday we agreed that the SVT is a much quicker and tighter machine! And compared to my 1984 Audi GT Coupe the SVT felt like it was light years ahead in performance.

BTW- to answer the signature question: I don't own an SVT yet although I put a $500 deposit on the car yesterday so it's as good as mine if I want it, that's why I described the car in my signature.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

Well I just want to let you all know that your advice paid off. I had the car taken to a Ford Dealership to get checked out and after passing the initial inspection it was sent to the body shop where they uncovered a whole slew of problems, including the fact that it had a bent frame, among other things. A few minutes before I found all this out I ran a Carfax on the vehicle and sure enough the car showed up as having been issued a salvaged title about 1500 miles ago, a fact the seller neglected to mention.

The seller had bought the car from a salvage dealer, held the car for 6 months in a garage, and then had body work done to repair the visual damage and the radiator.

It just goes to show that the old addage, "if it's too good to be true, then it probably is" still applies.

It's really too bad, the car looked so damn beautiful- even after I knew about the history and damaged, when I saw it one more time part of me wanted it anyway.

Well, I guess I'll just go back to wishing and wanting an SVT and scouring the classifieds. If anybody on the east coast is thinking about selling a stock silver svt with relatively low miles let me know.

Thanks again everybody- you saved me $8000 and a very scary nightmare.