Originally posted by svt4stv:
Originally posted by CSVT1214:
Just because Ford came out with an SVT model of the Contour, that doesnt mean that other Contours are the ones that should be getting laughed at just because they arent SVTs. I would take a non-SVT Contour any day.



I wouldn't. no offense to any non-svt owners. i only bought mine BECAUSE it was an SVT. there is no way, personally, I would have bought an SE knowing there are SVTs out there. and if there were no SVTs to be had i would have gone on to a different car.





I agree wholeheartedly that the SVT is a better car, but...

No SVT in 96, but the SE with MTX was the best performance/practicality value out there. The only other 4 door sedan that competed on price was the Chrysler Cirrus/Dodge Stratus, but it was 90's Chrysler quality, and only had drums in the rear. The Contour came out on top for somebody who cared about how the car drove.

I considered the Maxima, a car I had long admired, but by then they had already gotten fat and mushy, and were about $3k more, IIRC. Honda had already left the performance market. Anyway, I wanted a V-6, 4 doors, and handling as nimble as my deceased CRX. I got it.

I considered a SHO, but they were bigger, and about 4 or 5k more. I couldn't swing it.

If there'd been an SVT in 96, it would have been tough. I would have wanted it, but I don't know if I could afford it.

Anyway, I don't see any reason, today, to trade in my early SE on a later SVT. Yes, the cars got more power, but my car is lighter, and I'm tweaking the suspension, anyway, so the handling capability will be as good or better than a stock SVT. I sure would love 30 extra ponies, but otherwise, I like the content on my 96.

Function before fashion. '96 Contour SE "Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998