New. We drove it off the lot with 12 miles on it (IIRC) in July of 1998. We had rented one on our honeymoon a few months earlier and liked it. We were newly married and only had the one car (my 1982 Subaru--low, low miles) and needed something for my wife. I went to the dealer with the idea of looking at the cheapest thing (like an Escort) but my wife liked the Contour. She talked me into it, and then the V6 MTX. We only wish we had power windows/ locks.
We have always liked it. My wife still drives it every once in a while and says she misses it. But we have two kids and they love the van, plus it is tons easier.
It's done well over the years, not needed too much maintenance/ repairs, until the past few years. Now it feels as if everything is going wrong. Flywheel, Speed sensor, O2 Sensors, exhaust gasket, oil pan gasket, clutch, wheel bearings... But we still love it, plus it's paid for!
We also, coincidentally, had a 1996 Sport (Zetec) in Black for a few years. So we actually had 2 black Contours at one time. Kinda funny, it wasn't on purpose. I had a car die, and needed something soon and cheap. We went back to the dealer that took care of us with the new 1998, and he said I have a good deal on this...
