Originally posted by Jeb Hoge:
Originally posted by KyleH:
Originally posted by Jeb Hoge:
The 97 SE is as nice as the 96, and as far as I can tell, the only feature that they decontented from 96->97 was the remote fuel release, which always stuck on my 95. I did put E1 rims on my 97, though, and I'll be putting an SVT exhaust on it soon.



97's also didn't have as large seat bolstering as the 95/96's. There's a lot more that was de-contented in the '97 model year, go look at the FAQ's on the main site.



T/C & heated mirrors, seat bolsters, fuel release...that's it. But I got tilt steering!



I'm biased toward the 96 SE. Electronic IMRC control, OBDII, rod shifter, improved rear seat room (over the 95), locking fuel filler door (more important now that gas is going up again), ABS/TC, better looking w/o the 'bright metal' on the bumpers (IMHO), better build quality than the 98+ cars (No dash warp, etc.), best looking (IMHO) stock 15" wheels (easy to change, though), etc.

Tilt steering is the glaring omission, here.

I also wouldn't mind the 25-30 extra ponies of the SVT.

Function before fashion. '96 Contour SE "Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998