Interesting thread. I think all of us who own Contours are going to be facing the decision relatively soon.
One one hand, it is almost always cheaper to keep an older car on the road. If a new car payment averages around $500 a month, then repairs have to exceed $3000 a year on the older car to justify the argument that the newer car was purchased to avoid expensive repairs on the old car. $3000 buys a lot of repairs, as someone pointed out. The newer car also brings higher insurance costs and property tax payments, so the annual number is probably closer to $4000 a year.
But all of us completely understand the frustrations an unreliable older car can bring. In the past two years, my E0 SVT has had a number of small things go wrong. None were catatrosphic in nature or repair price, but the irritation factor really gave me pause at a time in my life when I've got more than enough things to worry about besides taking the car to various repair shops. At the moment, it is behaving itself (after replacing tires, front wheel bearings, CD head unit, fixed the leak in the trunk, and got a new catalytic converter), so I'll hold off for a little while before I completely lose my mind and jump into an Evo.
There are some truly valid reasons to justify getting a new car:
1. Upgrades in safety
2. Changes in your life that require more utility, ie giving up that Miata when you and your wife have a baby.
3. When the old car is wrecked
But the fact that we hang out here on a car-releated board usually indicates that we are enthusiasts, and our hobby is the passion for automobiles. I know people who easily drop $5,000 a year on adult hobbies like boating or golf, so for a guy who likes cars, what is the harm in getting a hot new ride to supplant the one that he has? If you can swing financially, then it really isn't an issue.
Face it -- after a period of time we all get sick of our cars and look forward to getting something new. The average car in the US is now owned by its orginal purchaser for over seven years. With the Contour line appearing in 1995, that means a lot of us, on average, either already have or are contemplating their next set of wheels.
Is the Mazda 6s a logical replacement for the SVT Contour? Yes, it is. They are very similar in execution, price, and function. The Acura TSX deserves a long hard look, too. The horsepower wars of the past couple of years have made the sedan market very interesting. There are more choices than ever, so the automobile enthusiast can actually have some fun making the decision.
Lee K
