The only problem I have had with my '99 SE in almost 57k miles is to replace the front end CV joints....I'll be working on the waterpump soon!!
My biggest complaint about the car is the transmission. It doesn't shift as smoothly as I would like, particularly from 1st to 2nd; too much slop and travel in the shifter. But (knock on wood!!), I have not had transmission trouble as others have had, and I run my car near the red-line continuously. However, knowing the problems others have had, I'm not aggressive in shifting and don't "bang the gears", even when auto-crossing.
Depending on how well the car is mechanically, I think you'd like the car. It's spirited, fun to drive, agile in the corners, and catches folks by surprise, as they don't expect a small family four door from Ford to be fun to drive. Too bad Ford has nothing in its' lineup currently to replace the Contour!
And, if you live in snow country, get a good set of winter tires, or at least a superior all-year mud/snow tire. The original Firestones that came with the car were terrible in Michigan winters. I've run two different sets of Coopers since then and have no complaints on how the car behaves in snow and ice.
Good luck, and have fun!!!!
Nathan
