High mileage cars don't scare me like they once did. When I was 19 (1991) I got a red 1972 Mercedes 450 SEL with 419,000 on the clock. Miles. Not kilometers. I drove it for one hard year in Wyoming, driving back and forth over the highest point in the Interstate system every week while in college. She never left me stranded, never refused to start, even in sub-zero weather with wind chill in the minus teens. It had had one engine/tranny rebuild at something around 200,000 miles and kept running strong over another 200,000 miles later. God I miss that car! Finally traded it in after about a year and a half with just under 450,000 miles. That car is the reason I would buy another Benz in a heartbeat if I had the means.
Do what you feel most comfortable with. Knowing Contours as well as you do, no one could fault you for buying another. Keep us posted whatever you decide!
