Well, you got your car back at any rate. The Contour is a great driving car - especially for what you pay, but you've got to be aggressive on maintenance for the trannies and perhaps be mindful of a few other things. You'll learn about how to get the most enjoyment from your car when you read more on these boards. CEG is great!
The main cat is typically plenty for passing emissions sniffer tests. The precats are designed to give additional scrubbing when the engine is cold. Once the main cat warms up, it can handle emissions fine on its own. Gutted precats will also usually pass a visual inspection if you have one in your state/county - assuming the person who did the gutting does a descent job.
Now for the work you had done, I'd say you got a fair price. You know what kind of maintenance & driving you've done in your car, and if you've taken care of the chassis, brakes, & such, you'll be able to enjoy it for a long, long time.
Keysers engine would have pretty much bolted in without a problem, and I'm sure he would have been willing to perform any needed preparations for you for a small fee - if any.
Too bad you're so far away in Wisconsin. I think you'd really enjoy your car driving the Dragon with us in October. Do you have any nice/favorite ribbons of roadway to weave around on??
