Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General How's Your Contique REALLY Doing?

So, I see I'm not alone...

Since I've been bitten by the car bug again I've been trying to do some "logical" thinking pro and con for keeping the Mystique.

It has the same occasional clunks in the rear suspension and buzzes in the dash as when I bought it.
The front suspension still squeaks no matter how it's lubed.
Since the MAF was replaced it surges while driving during warm-up.
At 97K the timing belt looks ok when I take off the top cover, but I dread knowing what the tensioner pulley might look like.
I need to seriously look at the tires and decide what to do about the upcoming snow/ice season.
The sunroof doesn't get opened as much as it did and has a tendency to snap and creak in the colder temps.
There are a few dings and scratches here and there of course.
After the last heavy rain I opened the trunk and had water pour down from the license plate light covers.
I was offered $1000 from the dealer where I bought it towards anything on the lot. (I don't THINK so...)

But the Pioneer AM/FM/CD I put in works and sounds fine and the wood dash trim I put on last spring still looks good.


Looking forward to the Auto Show in Boston next month...

tour is in decent shape.

it needs new suspension though.

my only complaint is the tranny going bad (still runs but needs a rebuild)

because of that i bought a new tranny. well one thing led to another, since i had to replace the tranny, why not get a 3L? then it got, why not get headers, why not get PnPed heads, why not get SVT uim, lim, and cams? why not get +1mm pistons and the block bored out, and engine balanced?

then i was: why not modify the tranny.

next thing you know i spent massive amounts of money, and hope to have the fastest atx contour!

With 103K miles, my Contour has been a heluva car. The only things that are bothering me now are the following:
1.Warped front rotors(been this way for over 50K miles, will get to it sometime)
2.Headlight housings looking a bit scruffy
3.Nicks and door dings scattered throughout, the most notable of which is a dent on the roof.
4.Star-break on the windshield, been meaning to call the insurance agent on that one.
5.Intermittently sticking driver's door jamb switch
6.Intermittently sticking ignition switch(car thinks there's still a key in when there's not-yikes, been doing that since day one!)
7.Engine rattles briefly at startup on cold mornings(another long standing trait).
8.CEL illuminates periodically, but disconnecting the battery for a while will knock it off(for at least a couple of thousand miles)
9.G/f thinks it rides like a horse wagon since the BAT Euro kit install, I say she's just used to her floaty Accord.

All these are minor points, the car still shines, the interior looks great, the car runs strong. And I just paid it off two years early! I'm just as happy with it now(especially after a wash/wax) as I was when I first bought it.

My 1999 SE, V-6, ATX is fantastic, thank you.

It has a few dings, but that's not the car. The only mechanical thing going on is the front rotors wobble occasionally. I will replace them along with the bearings this winter.

I just put nearly 3000 miles on the car driving up to the Dragon. I drove for 16 hours on the first day alone and I never got fatigued. Drove the Dragon twice on day 2 & it performed perfectly. GREAT CAR!!!

More Contiques in Brapples drive than at the SE CEG Dragon run!!

My front end seems a little loose so I'll be checking out my tierod ends tomorrow.

3 contours!!pretty much says it all....the v-6 is one of
best engines around and I can,t wait to own a ford futura.
only problem is with fords poor quality control .
but still gives you more bang for the buck....not like
those over priced import 4 cylinders with less than 150hp.

Running fine has a rough idle like everyone else has on their 4 bagner atx contours and mystiques. I currently have 138k on the dail and it still runs strong. Just need to replace a/c hose for me to have codl ac again and replace a few int parts. oh yeah needs a new suspension! Its still running on OEM setup

It's sleeping in the garage for the winter. I plain on buying everything for her over the winter, and going to town on repairs in the spring. Meh the garage is a mess, but its not mine, and they're letting the car stay there for free. i cant complain.