Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General No More contour....probably

It seems that I'm officially pissed at the contour...I'd say I've put about 5 grand into the car just to have it run properly over the past 3 years and its still being a [censored] to me. Right now it just cranks when it wants to...and its just something that I don't want to deal with anymore. I'm still deciding if I want to just put a for sell sign on it and just get whatever I can for it but honestly it doesn't matter I'd give it away for free at this point. Assuming I can't or don't sell I'll probably keep it and just keep dumping money into it(it was my first car so it has sentimental value) either way though, I've spent a few months now deciding on a new car. And it came down to...

Mazda 6- If I was getting this car I would want it fully loaded with every possible option which from what I've looked at is running about 23 grand. I test drove one and came away feeling bored with it, reminded me of the Tour but a bit more bland. Absolutely hated the interior and the front lights aren't my cup of tea probably had the most value though.

Volvo S40- Dinky, and extremely overpriced. I thought there were a few cool features but not for the price. The Interior was intriguing but ultimately very impractical not to mention extremely cramped. Theres something about the bodystyle that just draws me in but Its too little for the price.

Ford Fusion- Fun car and reasonably priced. Handling was exactly what I expected (seeing as though its the evolution of the contour) I just have questions about it durability because it just felt cheap and poorly put together. With all the options I wanted it came in around the same price as the Mazda 6. Interior was ok exterior styling looks great. I test drove the Licoln Zephr and I love the peppier engine and the cool slightly retarded navigation but its not worth 30 thousand...that price is outrageous.

Acura TSX- Probably the car I wanted in the first place. I drove a fully loaded 04 and by fully loaded I mean ridiculously loaded /w probably the best navigation I've ever seen in my life. I'm not a fan of the body style and the underpowered engine, but its probably the best bang for buck car on the market in the class.

Acura TL- While I was there I also tested out one of the 3rd Gen TL's (an 05) I did so because I think its probably the best looking car I've seen in a very long time (A-spec kit) and with the same features as the TSX not to mention a nice 265 hp (If I remember correctly) engine. it also came with a 28 thousand dollar price tag..but I'm leaning toward that. The body styling is beautiful and the features are absolutely amazing.

Newayz, thats just a short write up of the current situation
any other cars that you guys would recommend?

Acura TL - thats the way to go. Sorry to hear about the TOUR $5,000!!! yikes. Yeah time to get rid of it.

From what it sounds like, you want a $30,000 car, not a $20,000 one.

These post are really getting annoying!

Yeah see I was originally looking to buy a car in the small Sedan Lineup which is why I looked toward the Fusion and Mazda 6 and even the TSX. The TSX blew them all away but I just wasn't liking the Euro-Accord styling (even though its far and away better the the American Accord styling). But the HID's, Heated seats, incredible navigation, moonroof, in dash cd changer, heated mirrors, and about 20 other STANDARD features just made the car a steal...it comes loaded like a BMW for 5000 less. The only things I don't like about the car really came down to tires (changable), horsepower (upgradable) and the body styling. Which is why I came across the TL. Its got lines all over the place, which I just find incredible...I haven't drooled like <---this since I saw the BMW 7 series a year ago (For some reason I really really Like it )

I digress, I love this community so its urging me to stay here. I look over to the Acura community and I see people still debating about whether the Tornado fuel saver is a steal or not...and the crap topic goes like 6 pages full of bad responses. Its hilarious stuff. Either way, I thought hard about it last night and I decided I will keep the Contour but I'll be doing all the mechanical work on it from now on and it'll just be a project car for funs' sake. I already have a 98' Cadillac Deville for cool purposes so I'm not really hurting towards having a ride but I know I do want a new one.

Any other cars you guys would suggest I check out??? I'm going to go test drive a GTO today, I already know I'll love the engine, but I'm not to big on its "BLAH" bodystyling, and I've never actually sat in one to tinker around with stuff so it should be interesting. My brother suggests looking at a Toyota Corolla but I'm flat out not interested in it. I'm not even gonna look toward Audi and VW because of their persistant reliability issues and over priced mediocrity but if you guys could give me some suggestions I'll check em' out today. And if you guys want I could give you a FULL writeup of every car I've test driven to see if it'll make some of your later car decisions better.

~darp~

EDIT: Sorry to annoy Rawburt by running to his house and clicking on this thread and forcing him to read this, my bad . I honestly didn't mean to annoy you or anyone else, just needed a vent and I love this community so this is what I chose. I've been through everything with the Tour from a new transmission, to 3 new alternators, ac compressor, electrical issues, and everything under the sun. And yes, the frustration has set in. I don't expect the community to feel sorry for me or anything I'm just letting people know where I stand with the tour. You never go to the the pictures forum and go to the threads where people post pictures and say "I'm getting annoyed with it" so lets not start with that .

im confused at how you can walk away from the Fusion satified, but the Mazda 6... bored? Arent they technically the same car... I know they are on the same platform... If anything the Mazda 6s should be more fun to drive then the fusion because of the more agressive suspension... My brother's Fiance has an 03' Mazda 6s and its just a blast, even with the 5 sp Auto.

After driving a Milan I would hands down pick a 6. I think the 6 kicks arse for the $. Got a left over over 05 last month for 21k out the door. Car was fully loaded too. Did not care for the Milan's interior or handling dynamics.

Maxima
Altima
Saab 9-3
Legacy GT
CTS
Lincoln LS
Lexus IS

Some of these may require buying slightly used, but that's always my preference anyways.

I just got back from more test driving.

As far as the 6 vs the Fusion, yeah its the same platform. Which I think also is shared with the Volvo but it all comes down to execution. From a handling standpoint I feel like the Fusion was more comfortable. I believe the 6 has a sportier feel to it, which causes a bit of a bumpier ride. I test drove a comparativly (sp?) lower priced 6 than a fusion so my comments on the interior goes completely by that. The dealership I was at is getting an MSP 6 soon and I definitly want to drive that so I'll get back to you on that. Honestly both cars felt extremely peppy but underpowered. But just based on the options of the models I drove, the Fusion comes out ahead.

I drove a Lincoln LS V8 today and that is an extremely extremely nice car. Very refined with a nice gas guzzling V8 to boot (they did have a V6..but it felt sluggish)

My dad has a CTS, and I currently own a Cadillac so I know what to expect from that standpoint.

I'm heading to a Nissan dealership now to give the Altima and Maxima a shot. They are more comparative to the TL across the board. I've heard about problems with oversteer so I'll get back to you on that as well.

The Lexus IS is a nice car and I think its RWD which should be fun. It has a nice body style and comes pretty well loaded. I feel if I'm gonna give a look at the lexus I might as well check out the BMW 325 XI (which I can't find in San antonio) and I don't wanna go that route at all.

Honestly as far as features go I really am big on Leather seats, a nice simple, intuitive dash, Navi(if possible), steering wheel controls, leg room (I'm 6'4), and plenty of feel good motor. If I can find that and keep it under 30 grand I'll be extremely happy. This is truely turning out to be a much funner search than I anticipated, I'm having a great day

~darp~