I too was shocked when I had the rear springs replaced and the car was so much higher. Since both rears were broken in 3 pieces I guess the car leveled itself despite the broken springs and it was not really noticeable until after the replacement.
Also... I should point out, that I became aware of the broken front springs because a piece of coil was bouncing around when I went over bumps. As for the rear, the broken pieces were jammed between the rest of the spring and there was no noise coming from either side. I didn't realize they were broke until a small piece fell on the driveway. Once the car was placed on a lift and the pressure came off the springs, then both sides were easily noticeable.
I would imagine there are a substantial amount of Contour owners out there driving with broken coils that simply are not aware of it.
