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Got to be the best bang for the buck out there. Daughter's going to college and needs a car, so she gets Mom's 92 Grand Am (132,000 miles- going strong), Mom gets the 92 Taurus, and Dad went out looking for something fun to drive for work and back. Did a fair amount of research on the net... thought about a used Mustang GT, but it rains and snows here in Ohio, and the GT drivers usaully thrash the hell out of those things. Make a long story short, picked up a 98 Contour SE, 53,000 miles. Ford Dealer wanted $8,300... told him I don't really have to buy anything until August but I'd buy it right now for $7.000. Right before closing on Good Friday, raining, he hadn't done a thing all day and wasn't likely to Easter weekend... got that end of month quota to meet.... Paid 7k, driving it since. No alloys/leather/sunroof, but real nice shape... 2.5 Duratech V6, 5 spd MTX, sport suspension, 195/65SR14 radials, 4 wheel disc brakes.... sport seats, air cond, tach, reading lights, power windows/locks, tilt wheel, rear wind defog, aftermarket AM/FM/CD... and no exterior indication whatsoever (other than tiny "24V" sticker RR decklid) that this thing's anything other than a 4 cyl/autotrans rental car. No hood scoop, no spoilers, no goofy graphics, no sign saying "Hey, Officer! Over here! Watch me!" Really, an adult car- all go and no show. I love it- I just want to go fast, not attract attention (and tickets). Never saw any advertising for these things when Ford made 'em- a few print ads for the SVT, but even for that nothing on TV or radio. Looks to me like the dealers killed this car by not making much of an effort... did any of them even know what they had? Granted it's got a tiny back seat and a stiff ride, and it doesn't have a cheesy mouse-fur velour and fake wood interior... but it's got big, thick anti-roll bars, lots of power, goes like stink, whips around a corner, and stops on a dime. I'll make that tradeoff any time- and I really think a lot of folks (mostly older guys like myself, not kids) would also.
JimCat
98 Countour SE
thinking 'bout bigger rubber after I wear these Michelins out...
JimCat
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Joined: Feb 2001
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Welcome to CEG, JimCat. We all share your same enthusiasm. The Contour is one of the best sleepers out there. I think one of the reasons for its demise is that so many American drivers want a smooth, perfectly comfortable ride at any cost. But for those of us who think of driving as more than a point a to point b exercise, the Contour is perfect fit.
Luigi
1997 SE, black, MTX, BAT suspension kit, resonatorless, Dynomax Superturbo, Corbeau GTS-II driver's seat, seven spoke SE wheels, K&N, tranny cocktail, Mobile 1
Used 96 Duratech with 35K installed at 92.5K due to engine fire. Replace your water pump today!
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Joined: Sep 2000
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Congrats on your purchase! Hang around the CEG too long and you will be slammin it, and puttin 18s on it  V6/MTX aren't too common, so a good find indeed! Check out the other Forums, you can probably find some people near you. Talk, hang out with them. Enjoy!! Andy
STD's are like Pokemon...
Gotta catch em' all!
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welcome, sounds like u got a nice one
95 contour se...dark blue...monsterflow air filter...remanuf atx...wiring harness recall or bust!!!96k miles...motorcraft awsf32pp plugs & red ford racing 9mm wires...kvr black plated cross-drilled rotors & carbon fiber pads...currently undergoing renovation...excuse our dust!!!
are my dodgers for real????
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Thanks for the welcome, guys! This looks like an excellent group- lots of tech info on the cars, lots of good discussion, a lot of fun to surf the site. This isn't my first car with some motor to it- I've had a lot of cars over the past 30+ years. Some weren't anything special, but some were pretty neat- 65 Mustang 289 4V, 70 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Convert 472 4V, 76 Olds Toro 455 4V, 84 VW Jetta GLI, 84 VW Scirocco, 93 Chev Cavalier RS Convert 3.1L V6 (Z24 engine, Suspension, and Interior- no hood scoops, spoilers, tape stripes)... I guess a common theme here is I like the sleepers- not impressed with fake hood scoops and spoilers, tape stripes. I'd rather put my money into the mechanical stuff. Still miss that Caddy Convert with the 472 4V- it was a tail finned road locomotive, and it's frightnening that anything that big could move that fast. Love the Contour, though- reminds me a lot of my old Scirocco, only with WAAYYY more power (and not quite as twitchy through the steering wheel). If anybody tells you that the older you get the less you enjoy running around in a fun car, DON'T believe 'em! Nice and hilly here in Cincinnati, and after I finsh with the expressway work and back I'm having a blast seeking out back roads in the hills to bolt up and down. Love Led Zep on the CD player, but I turn it off when I'm running that SE up through the gears- that's one sweet sounding engine!
JimCat
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You got a Really good deal. My 98 SE, bought last March with 24K miles, has alloys, remote entry and everything else you mentioned (except it's ATX not MTX). We finally got the dealer down to $8600. It's got 34K miles now; I love driving it!
Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the CEG!
Matthew
98.5 Contour SE V6
It has spent 1.5 years under the wrong identity ;-)
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Oh, watch with the 'kids' attitude too... Most of the CEG is under 30; many are under 25 years old. I'm 17. Just warning you
Matthew
98.5 Contour SE V6
It has spent 1.5 years under the wrong identity ;-)
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Matthew- nothing wrong with kids! I was one myself (many moons ago), and my daughter's seventeen now. But looking at the car you've got (nice SE!), I'd say that you- like her- are no longer a kid, but a young adult. Nice car!
JimCat
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Good find JimCat... took me 2 months to find a V6/MTX the second time around ('cource, I also wanted it fully loaded which mad it a little harder to find). 53K on a '98... that's lower than average miles in KBB right?
99 SE Sport MTX SilverFrost Duratec
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Dionysius- think KBB showed about 58,000 as being desireable for this year... most of the 98's I've seen in the papers and on the net seem to have around 60,000, some higher- these are fun rides, and people tend to rack up the miles on 'em. KBB showed $8,800 retail w/the eqpt this has, Edmunds showed around $8,000 retail and $7,000 private party. Dealer gave me a 1,000 mile 50/50 warranty, but my credit union financed the whole thing at 6% and threw in a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty for $500. Got the dealer to throw in an extra key, too- with the radio chip in them, they're not cheap and you can't just go up to the hardware store and have 'em cut you one real quick. I figure I did ok. It's in real nice shape... The dealer made some money (I don't have a problem with that- just not going to pay the extra thousand) and I got the car for what I would have paid a private seller for it. As I told him, I had 4 or 5 months before I really had to make a move- somebody was going to sell me one of these for 7k between now and then.
JimCat
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