I have the same problem with my 95 Contour that i just bought 3 months ago..Mine just sounds like its out of gas. On some 95 models there was a recall for under the hood wiring harness.. check the wires to see if they are cracking and breaking. Mine were so bad the covering was crumbling off of the wires leaving some bare. unfortunately i am over the coverded mileage so FORD will not fix it, but will do repairs for the low fee of $2800.00.YEAH RIGHT like i can afford that. bottom line for me is., I got reemed!!
coverage is 100,000 miles or 10 years, which ever comes first.