Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests FSVT - anybody own one?

There seems to be some great deals out there on 2003 SVT
Foci. I'm so tempted that it hurts. I've been looking at a
silver 5-door, looks like a real sweet ride. The deal is
there for the taking.

Anyone here own one? How do you like it? I trust the judgement of the folks on this list, and would like a little feedback, either to talk me out of it or tell me to go for it. lol

Eric

motorcity owns one. . .

What else are you looking at?

FocalJet has all the FSVT info you can dream of.

my friend owns one.. they're dogs.

What do you own now? Zetec, Duratec, SVT? MTX, ATX? Pre-98 or 98+?

In some cases going to an FSVT would be a downgrade .. in others, an upgrade. (all IMO of course )

Depending on what you own now, the choice can be easy whether to go for one or not.

It's got a 6 speed Go for it!

Its a pretty nice car, not the fastest by any means but certainly a noble daily driver.

They are not quarter mile queens. If that is your goal, its not the car for you. The gearing and torque prevent that.

I have some pics of mine in my sig.

I got a killer deal on mine, I am happy. PM me with any questions.

Depending on what you are currently driving, you may not like what you end up with as much as you are thinking.

If you're moving out of an SVT Contour, your acceleration and passing power is significantly less. O the other hand your handling will improve. The seats are ass compared to an SVT Contour, most people dislike them, but the rest of the interior is better, in terms of materials, and fit and finish. Basically it's a win/lose situation as there are some areas each is better in.

If you own any other model in the contour range, including V6/mtx, you will be happy, acceration seems about the same, and your handling, braking, etc... will all be better.

I went from a V6/mtx to a ZX5 and although I miss the secondaries opening (if they felt like it) I don't really miss much else. Although I only spent a small amount of time behind the SVT's wheel, I wish I'd known the ZX5 SVT was on the way, I would have waited.

I just replaced my csvt with a zx5svt a few weeks ago. I like it.

Interior:Bigger overall. A 4 door+hatch is what i've been waiting for so the change was planned in my case. Some prefer a trunk. Fit and finish is prolly a wash. Some switchgear sounds cheaper than the C, more leather on the c and more power options on the seats. But there are enough added stuff on the F to make up for it - like side impact airbags, kewl pedals, better steering wheel etc

Exterior: Pretty subjective. I like both. Just needed a hatch. The F has 17's FWIW.

Drivetrain, handling: Haven't pushed the F much yet but it had impressive numbers on the cones for those who magazine race. But I cannot really compare yet. I know the C handled really well and I miss the c's overall power off the line, no contest there. v6 vs 4cyl. is an apples to oranges comparison anyways, for the most part. The sounds are different, the responses are different. The 6 speed of the focus is nice. Not having to muscle the c's stick into reverse(or worse do a restart in a busy parking lot) is something i'm not gonna miss LOL. Parking and manuvering the focus in tight spaces (ie DC streets and parking lots) is a breeze but we all know the legendary wide turning radius of the C . From what i've read, the F's clutches are fragile. But the C has its own share of fragile parts - ie waterpump.

I can go into more comparison observations if you want. Just pm or email me. Motorcity has had his much longer though so get plugged in with him.

From what i've read in the various focus boards, there are lots of options modding wise...

oh..i get better mpg's FWIW, so far. My c had always been around 21-23mpg's. The f is doin 24.5-25.5 mpg. Both on premium gas.

DD