Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches Eastern Canada Happy Aniversary Roxy!

Ok people, in a mere two weeks I will have had my Tour for 1 year.

I have sat down with the bills and figured out that Roxy has cost me a mere $1200 in one year and 25k of driving. (I consider this a bargain after my 3 Audis). Remember kids, this included 4 new tires, which Roxy cannot be blamed for! That said she'll need brakes all around, a IAC and EGR valve, and possibly a new rad, so really it's more like $2000. In any case...

Should I keep Roxy? The pros are that she has been incredibly reliable and is a hoot to drive. The insurance isn't killer, and I like the way she looks. The reason for getting rid of her is simple. I've read alot of things on CEG that make me think I may have just had a good run. The idea of doing a clutch, or other major repairs are unapealing. Every time she throws a CEL I worry about what might be next. Realistically, the car has some resale value now, which could be used as downpayment on a shiny discounted Mazda3 GT.

So people what do you think? Will Roxy continue to be a reasonably inexpensive car to keep on the road, or should I move on to 160hp of Mazda3 goodness?

I am really curious to see what you all have to say to this!

Daniel

I say keep. Not everyone has the problems you read on the board and any car can have problems no matter what one it is. Resale hasn't changed a whole lot in the last year either for 95 or 96's as far as I've seen. As you say it is a hoot to drive and if you save your money toward a downpayment you'll have that plus a car when the time comes to use towards a new one. As for the clutch? Well I'm @ 157000 and 115000 respectively one my cars both MTX and they are still going strong and I'm sure 'm not the nicest to my clutches. Point is I'm betting 150000k out of a clutch is not to hard to make happen.

As with any new models, the first two years will be rocky. Because it's a new model, there's bound to be some issues with it. Chances are, it will be fairly minor because Mazda/Ford have had a chance to massage issues with the Mazda 6 and US-based Focus Duratecs between (2003 and 2004). I haven't heard much of negative rants with the new 3 yet.

I wouldn't be frightened off by any major repairs, provided you're doing them as part of preventative maintenance. It all comes down to that. Eventually, machines break down. However, the frequency depends on how much you take care of them.

Given the resale value, I'd keep the car as long as you can. Parts will probably be abundant as time progresses (ever note how many Contours/Mystiques are on the road now?). When you need to do a major repair, that's when I'd start debating Roxy's future.