I'll be the one to rain on the thread.
I've had problems with mine. Owned since 2001 (driven by my sister in 2002, otherwise mine) and 24K miles; now at 76K. Several things repaired under warranty (fuel pump, muffler, ignition switch, and more), and many more repairs thereafter. Suffice to say as much as I love this car I've lost confidence driving it after a yearlong string of thousand-dollar-plus repairs (three of them, all on different aspects of the car) and just knowing that other things are ready to go or have gone (tranny clunks when cold, A/C is nonfunctional, etc.).
In all reality though, it can be a situation of bad luck. I know many people on this site drive their Contours much harder than I've ever done mine and had little to no problems with theirs. Mine rides like new when it's not in the shop -- there are barely any squeaks or rattles at all.
Generally, you can rest assured that you'll love the car no matter the problems (or lack of
). For example, I'll likely own an SVT in the future, it just won't be my reliable daily driver based on my experience with this car.
