Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting God help me!

I just purchased a '95 Contour GL with a Duratec and the ATX. It's got 110,000 miles on it but it's clean in and out and ran perfectly on my test drive this past Saturday. I went over this car with a fine toothed comb! This is my first Contour but not my first used car or potential project car for that matter. I went back last night to pick it up and wouldn't you know it...
2 miles down the road the transmission started acting up. First the shift form first to second was harsh to say the least. Then the second to third shift was also harsh. There was no shift into fourth. Then it wouldn't stay in any gear at all. I took the car right back and demanded my money from the former owner. Needless to say he wouldn't budge. He returned some of the money "for repairs" but that's all I could get form him. So I limped the car home. I drove the car I'm replacing to work this morning and came home tonight to look at the Contour. I got in it, started the motor it cranked up and then it died. Now when I turn the key I just hear the wail of what sounds like a very strained starter. Any ideas out there?

Call the guy back and tell him youll see him in court!Then call a lawyer!Did you buy ti from a dealer?If so call the police And tell them you were robbed!
Call the BBB!

Ouch I'm sorry man. I don't know what to tell you on this one. I am sure someone will chime in and give you some good advice.

Good luck.

Well...depending on what you paid, I'm almost inclined to give you the same advice I gave myself when my newly-purchased used Connie wouldn't start. Suck it up and get it towed and repaired. Now, mind you, for me that came to about $900 on two trips to the dealership, and since then all my work's been done at a private shop or our CEG group. For me, even after dropping the extra coin on service, my car's still cheaper than the other cars I was looking at buying, and I've gotten really attached to it.

So, tell your seller that you won't sue if he agrees (in writing) to cover at least partial costs on whatever repair work the car requires, and go from there.

Anyone rebuilt his atx or mtx lately? How much did you pay?

The purchase contract in most states has a three day cancelation clause so just take the thing back to the dealer. :p I had a problem with the sunroof when i first bought mine and they replaced the motor and gears for free. yeah they complained alot but i told them to take it back and they fixed it. out of warranty. hope it helps

Sounds to me like this was a sale between individuals. Caveat Emptor, I'm afraid. Unless you can prove the seller was being deceptive or fraudulent, you'll have a tough time getting any help here.

Take the car in for diagnosis. It could yet be something relatively simple, plus a car with 110k on the clock is prone to random failures here and there...

Most states require that the seller disclose mechanical problems with vehicles for sale prior to the sale. The seller would have to disclose the problem and sell the vehicle to you as is, but you would have been under notice. If there were no problems disclosed to you at the time of offer and you were not given notice of sell as is, you may have some recourse. I would consult with an attorney who knows about automobile resale business in your state/county. Transmissions do not fail overnight unless there was an electrical failure of a sensor or connection which would cause some of these problems. But if it is mechanical, the ATX fluid would be brown, bad smell etc...If the fluid is new or has additives, there is your evidence that the seller was probably with-holding information from you. Try checking your battery connections to make sure the guy did not switch batteries on you over night and left a terminal loose. Any other actions will probably cost you money and you will have to determine what's best for you with your attorneys' advice.

I agree with Pete on the battery theory. The ATX shifting is controlled completely by the computer which may be acting flakey if the battery is very low. The starting problem you mention sounds like a dead battery cell. Get a jump and see if you can get to Autozone for battery/charging system test. Check the ATX fluid before you drive off. If the car drove fine the day before, hopefully it is still mechanically OK.

That could be in which case your correct.
I guess I'm just happy mine hasn't had any more problems.