Like many others here, I have been a "Ford Guy" - not in the strictest sense (I have owned other makes), but other than my '70 SS Chevelle, I have always picked Ford over GM and Mopar. I've only bought two cars new, an '88 Mustang GT, and my CSVT. The quality really has seemed to have gone downhill. The Mustang was a well-built car, and took tons of abuse without a whimper. In 135k, the only things that went bad were a wiper motor and an alternator. I can't say the same with the Contour. It is only 8 months and 12k miles from new, and I've had over 20 - yes, twenty! - problems; new tranny, paint falling off the doors, trunk won't latch, A/C condensor was smashed and leaking (not sure if it happened at the factory, or when the tranny was replaced), weatherstripping falling apart, and no straps holding passenger airbag in place, to name but a few. There is no excuse for such absymal quality. Corporate greed is all I can think of, resulting in decontenting, cutting corners and poor quality control. Unfortunately because of the horrendous depreciation, I'm probably going to have to hold on to it for a while (unless I can find a sucker). But my next new car will NOT be a Ford product. I may buy an older (88-93) Mustang as a toy, but my next main car will either be a new Japanese car, or a low-mileage BMW or Audi.
