Congratulations Brian, you pass math... now remember that you're driving a 1996 Contour, and he's driving a 2004 Mazda 6. You get pleasure from the extra money that you're saving... he gets pleasure from the newer car he's driving. I plan on replacing the SVT sometime within the next year-year and a half. I paid $9k cash, and I've dropped over $5k in it with new wheels, random other mods, an IAC valve, and then a whole new engine because the old one blew. I plan on getting a new(er) import with less problems. Know why? Because I can't afford to be without a car for 3-4 weeks while my engine is rebuilt (by the worst shop ever, i might add), I'm sick of the creaks, rattles, bangs, the poorly functioning A/C, the fact that I can't shift out of first when its cold, the sagging sideskirt and rear bumper, and because I just simply want something different. Sorry that not everyone dreams of owning a Contour for the rest of their lives.
