Well, I will say the SVT Contour did not have direct competition, but the non-SVT Contour fit right in the center of the entry-mid-size market, against Stratus, Sebring, Grand Am, Malibu, Sonata, Galant, Altima, and the like. It presented a top-grade offering at a reasonable cost.

Ford is merely shooting themselves in the foot by ignoring that market segment.

That the sportier variant of the SVT is a currently unoccupied niche makes all the more reason to have a product here. Yes, us current owners are aspiring to something more (well, I'd be happy with a newer SVT Contour design one more time around), but there are a LOT of people with lesser cars that would aspire to the SVT Contour if it were there to aspire to.

Seriously, I get a lot of comments from people that are pissed that Ford stopped making the Contour (and especially SVT variant) because it is the car they really wanted to own.

Also, there are a lot of us that want a car of this size and performance that just don't want to (or can't) spend the $35,000+ that replacing, much less outgrowing, the SVT Contour would cost us.

Ford needs to look for the long term of their company, not just the next few quarters.

You can pillage an enemy once, but a customer is an endless resource.

James Oerichbauer - PFPC Global Fund Services

Ross: 1998 E0 SVT Contour, Toreador Red, Konis, Superchip, KKM w/heat shield, SHO-shop y-pipe and rear strut brace, no res, ScotchCal, Moda Sport 16x7.5 wheels with 205/55ZR16 Dayton Dayton tires... more