Originally posted by bret:
i think the reason the aftermarket for this car is so small, is because it costs large amounts of money to achive very minimal gains... and people who buy $15k to $23k cars don't have large amounts of money, let alone large amounts of money to spend on small gains. plus with the way the obdII is, this car was just not made to be modded. roush did the best they could, and without seriously comprimising reliablity, modding this car is more trouble then it is worth... i am sure your shop will see that, and probably back out of the contour aftermarket... plus on top of that, the car has been killed.
Its true that it is expensive to get gains, but that is because their is not enough demand/competition in the aftermarket for contours/cougars/mystique in the states. I think that the cars have lots of potential despite its already high hp/liter rating. I think that simple mods such as throttle bodies, exhaust, chips, and intakes really have lots of potential. The real untapped resource with these cars is handling. We need more suspension choices such as coilovers, swaybars, chassis and subframe bracing, and busings/motor mounts.
The contour is never going to blow 'em all away at the drag strip, but it can be made into a really super car if you just focus on the right areas. We need aftermarket companies to market more parts for the right areas of improvement for these cars...like suspension, cooling, and braking. These mods wouldn't cost as much as some hp increasers and would make the car more fun to drive.
Just my opinion.
