Back in '98 I was driving a '92 Mitsubishi Galant. I had loved the way these cars looked since high school. When the tranny in my full size Chevy truck cratered, I snapped up a pristine Dk Green Galant. Peppy 16v engine, ATX. I loved the car dearly. Fast forward to early '98. Driving home from work one morning in Kansas City I attempt to accelerate up a hill on the Interstate .... and nothing. Engine revs, but the car is coasting. I manage to coast off the highway safely, and get the car towed to a transmission shop. $1200 later ($900 for a USED tranny (rebuilt was going to cost $2500!!!), $300 for the install) and I'm back on the road. Sadly, just a few months later the replacement transmission begins to slip. CRAP! Three ATXs in a row and I'd had it!
Passing a Ford dealer in Raytown on the way to work I spotted an F-150 on the used lot. It was brand new, but was a hail-damaged purchase, hence it's presence on the used lot. I missed having a truck, and that's really the main reason I'd stopped to look at an F-150. It should be mentioned at this point that I come from a GM family, and I had hated Fords with the white-hot heat of a thousand burning suns. Well, the F-150 had a contract being written on it, so it was out. I remembered hearing that the Contour could be had w/ a V6 and a MTX (if I was getting a car I wanted a V6, and by this time a MTX was a requirement regardless of the vehicle). The only reason I considered looking at the 'Tour (besides the engine/tranny combo) was the facelift for '98. At the time I didn't really care for the look of the '95-'97s. On a lark I asked the salesman if they had any V6/MTX 'Tours. He told me they had only one. It was a Silver Frost '98 SE. The '99s were out by this time (September) so there was a substantial discount on the '98s. It stickered at almost 20k, but w/ year-end discounts was down to 15k. I test drove the car and INSTANTLY fell in love with it. I bought it that same day and had it home by early afternoon and I've loved it every single day since. Just last week I had my first CEL, so it's been reliable as hell.
Now, as far as contour.org... a year or so later I was at the Kansas City car show. I spotted a T-red SVT in the Ford display. While drooling over the car, a man next to me asked if I had a Contour. After replying in the affirmative, he told me about contour.org. I trolled for a bit, and I think I registered way back then but lost track of my log-in as I didn't visit the boards much. I re-upped in 2003 and since the car was finally paid for and now out of warranty I finally allowed the mod bug to bite. Now, I'm on here every day and posting away!
