Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General So I looked at a Contour SVT today...

I drove an hour to look at the closest SVT for sale that I could find. It was a 2000 Contour SVT. It has 60,400 miles, it is black and has a tan interior. The front bumper needs to be repainted because it was parallel parked a lot and it was scuffed and hit a lot of times. Also the passenger side ground effect is sort of bending downwards, is there an easy fix to this? It's not really noticeable.

In the interior, it looks good. The leather has a lot of cracks but they're not deep like in my mustang. Also there is the long black vent piece on the dash right next to the windshield. Well it is bending upwards on both sides, and the owner says that it was sitting in the sun one day and it just popped out like that.

The owner showed me reciepts, and most of the work was done at the Ford dealer. The brakes were done a year ago. The front pads look thick but I couldn't see the rear pads. The wheels are stock and don't have any curb rash. The tires are BFG Comps with about 20,000 miles on them, there is quite a bit of thread left.

My driving impressions: It handles better than the 94 Mustang GT I have. It feels more solid. It's kind of wierd driving with FWD considering all the cars I have driven are RWD. The clutch is super light compared to the clutch in the stang. It's like I barely had to use any force. And the shifter feels a lot different from the mustang. I like the shifter in the mustang more because you can feel the car more, and there is a positive feel for every shift. I didn't know what gears I was going in at first because the shifter seems sort of sloppy. But it shifts very smoothly which I like. It is also much easier to drive than the mustang. Not to mention, it is very quiet.

There is another thing, the weather seal on the driver's side door is ripped quite a bit. You can't hear any noise and there are no leaks but I would probably replace it. Is it expensive?

The trunk is definately big enough for my needs and the back seat is nice. The engine bay is pretty dirty but I used to detail cars so I can fix that easily. If I polish this car I can probably get it to look almost like new.

So the guy wants $7200 OBO. What should I buy it for? Or should I keep looking?

That's a good price actually. Sounds decently well kept up to. I'd talk him down another $500 if you can.

The 2000 is a good year. 5 more hp, and a better diff than the 98-99 "glass diff". That is a reasonable price, but it sounds a bit rough around the edges. I'd try to get it for 6, citing all the wear-and-tear. But I'm a cheap-ass. Once you get it, add some suspension goodies and see how much better than the stang it is then!

I don't like the shifter in the 2000. Actually it could just be my car... I have a 2002 coug tranny in it from the previous owner. It isn't anywhere near as smooth as the 98/99's i have test drove. I wish mine was that smooth

The vent poping up by the windshield is from the dash pad warping. There is a kit available to replace the vent and tie down the dash pad better. The new vent is black metal. You may want to think about having it painted to better match the dash. You may want to look into this a bit more before buying it or at least use that as a bargaining chip.

The side skirts are mostly held on with double sided tape and a few clips. They can often be corrected. The tire shop I used several years ago always hoisted the car on a hoist that would deflect the panels on my car. I don't go there any more. I was always able to correct the side skirts with very little effort. Again, this may be a bargaining chip.

It's five years old now, maybe six depending on how early he bought it in the model run. It is getting harder and harder to find a cherry one. A high performance car always has a higher chance of being abused.

Look it over carefully and make sure it is really what you want before you commit.

Ford dealer. There was an owner notification program (similar to a recall) on this that has long ago expired. You can learn a lot about this issue with a search as it is one that comes up often.

If you can find a car like this, get it. Orig owner, all receipts, and newest model year.

Look up "real world" prices on www.Edmunds.com under "True Market Value" [TMV].

Not only that the dash kit will run 300+ or so and is a bear to do without the glass removed.

The sideskirts could be used but take a look at the person who you are purchasing it from. Thats not always the best indicator but it gives you an idea.

Is the oil clean on the disptick? Does the distick have burned oil on it? Are teh pedals themselves really worn? Any of these and you can assume the owner may have neglected the vehicle or it has more mileage than stated.

Where are you located?

there are a few websites besides Autotrader.com....

Auto-Rv.com
automart.com
cars.com
Contour.org
fordcontour.org
etc.

I'm near Chicago.

From what I read the dash kit is $70 from the Ford dealer.