I have been wondering as more Contours diassapear off the roads, the effect on this forum. I am seeing many more of them now in the wrecking yards. And many of those I see are not in accidents but are there because owners dont want to spend large sums on them. I would also expect as the values continue to drop, they remaining cars will attract more interest from younger inexperienced people and the knowledge and understanding of the posts will decline. I quess this will happen until finally most of the cars are gone, not neccessarily a bad thing. If anyone remembers what the Vegas were, this car has a similar feel to me.
The real CEG'ers will remain here. THey are the ones that will pay the money for the repairs. They will not give up when there tranny gives out, they'll have it rebuilt by Terry. They will not give up when they spin a bearing and kill their engine, they'll drop a 3L... I mean of course as the years pass alot of these cars will be forgotton or sold to ricer kids... Shoot I forgot where I was going with this!
I think the SVT Contour will remain for quite some time. I would doubt that too many of these would turn up in junkyards. However, the Zetec or SE models will likely turn in to more of a junkyard car.
For most people, if a car starts breaking down, it is time to get rid of it. The people that bought regular Contours are typically "most people". The SVT, on the other hand, is more of an enthusiasts car. Therefore, I wouldn't classify the owners as "most people". When an SVT has problems, it is more likely to be cared for and repaired. I plan to have my SVT on the road as long as it is possible (or until I have enough money for an M3
).
Originally posted by Big_B:
I plan to have my SVT on the road as long as it is possible
As will I... Mine is getting the trans redone with lsd, spec stage 1 clutch and a fidanze lightened flywheel right now, thats alot of money to keep this car going. I'm sure in another year or so my engine will go and I'll put the 3L in and essentially have a brand new car. A couple years down the road I'll be buying a Lexus IS300 but it'll parked next to my 3L SVT in the garage!!! 
This question comes up all the time (but I'm not telling you to search...
)
Interest of the masses will wane, but there will always be a few dedicated (or, insane?) people who want to keep them going. It's the exclusivity of age. The few remaining good examples are pretty rare. Anyway, there's still a community out there for the Merkurs, and for the Mk1 Capris, so I can't imagine the Contique fading completely.
In my mind, as more Contours appear in the junkyards, more grassroots hot rodders will consider them for wild projects. I think we're already seeing this. The cost of entry for a GL shell has come down considerably, making the total cost of a blown, 3L screamer more affordable for the backyard tinkerer. At that point, it doesn't matter whether it started as an SVT or not.
As far I as I can tell, my Zetec is bulletproof. Yeah, I've had to replace some stuff but as long as I take care of her, she'll take care of me. I'm right around 130K and I'd like to run her to 240-250K. Easy to work on and with a resource like CEG it's not really a problem if you can't figure something out.
I'll be running my baby until the doors fall off, which with the current state of my door-seam rust, which hopefuly won't be before 3 years... depending on how much sandblasting I do. I'll throw in a new clutch when she needs it, but wouldn't be able to justify a 3L, especially with the rapidly growing rust.
I'll never sell the contour.
Originally posted by RawBurt:
The real CEG'ers will remain here. THey are the ones that will pay the money for the repairs. They will not give up when there tranny gives out, they'll have it rebuilt by Terry. They will not give up when they spin a bearing and kill their engine, they'll drop a 3L...
I think I can handle (as in bear with a problem) a blown engine or tranny. Probably cost about $3K each to fix. That would still be much cheaper than car payments on a 2 to 3 year old comparable car.
But I really don't think I can handle a wire harness issue. Based on what I read, when the dealers "fix" the problem, it is never fully fixed and I would go crazy if I had to spend $3k to $4k to have the dealer fix something and have more issues after that.
My 1999 Contour LX Zetec is about to enter a new phase of life. It has 130K miles, and I just paid $550 to have the AC condenser replaced, and the rear brake shoes replaced. I wouldn't have paid that much had I not misheard my mechanic's quote over the phone. I am going to upgrade to a Volvo S60 by the end of the week hopefully, and then the Contour will be put up for private sale. Can't justify keeping it anymore when it is going to need new tires, timing belt, etc real soon.
00 SVT w/ 34,000 miles
Major mods:
3.0 w/ 3,000 miles
Torsen
SPEC clutch, flywheel
OZ Superleggeras
Baer brakes
Konis + GCs
rear bucket seats
etc. etc. etc.
Money spent:
I average about 500 miles per year, and figure to be one of the last remaining CEGers.
Mine has 82,xxx miles. The car is under warranty until 90k, and I will review my wishes and desires for the car when I hit that. Without the warranty, repairs over the last few months would have cost around $1500. It needs new struts, will need new tires and brakes next summer, and the body could use a touch of work (road rash and missing bolts in a couple places). Regardless, its looks awesome and runs without problem most of the time. Can't say I'd want to sell or trade it even if it needed a little bit of love.
I'll be on CEG forever either way.
my '98 mystique (duratech atx,ls and loaded, bought pre-owned august '04) has yet to turn 30,000 miles. given what i have learned about our cars courtesy of this site and the enthusiasts here, my thinking is i should be able to keep it for many years. (i also have a '97 eb expy with 80,000 miles and the daily driver, an '86 olds ciera with 282,000 miles).
vegas were cars riddled with problems from the outset- interesting concept, poor execution. our contiques are light years better than vegas ever hoped to be..... and are most assuredly NOT throw-away vehicles!
lakeside
I'm going to stay on here as long as possible, if every freakin panel falls off my car...I'll buy "new" ones and put those on and keep going.
If my car gets so messed up beyond repair, I'll be sure to try and find a newer better Contour (99-00 SE or maybe SVT). If my tranny decides to take a crap, I'm dropping a MTX in it and if the engine goes a 3L V6 is gonna be put in it.
The overheating problems from the water pump almost put my 1998 Mystique "away" early. I bought it cheap and she's now running fine. Most repair shops don't seem to know the pump issue. Truly busy or non-car people will always ditch their cars earlier than the tinkerers found at CEG! Transmission problems with the ATX might cause some Contours to be scrapped too early as well. Depends on if you think "dollar value" of car or "functional value" of car when deciding. One of my neighbors down the street just got a Mystique I wonder how long it will last (unless the ask me or visit CEG).
I don't see it happening. Contours are so cheap now, that mods are becoming much more common and affordable. There are more 3L and turbo cars than there have ever been.
I think the SVT and by extension all V6-MTX cars will continue to have a following in the future. Two things I hope to see:
1) Someone with enough money and passion convert a Contour to RWD
2) Contours getting solidly into the 12's
If people knew the background behind the car they might fix them and resell them. As most don't they trash em.
More Contours at the wreckers means more parts for me to keep it alive longer......
Woohoo!!!
I haven't even begun to get my tour to where I want it... I'm in it for the long haul... My GF even wants to get her 95 gl back to top condition.
There are Ford Maverick and Falcon clubs still swapping parts, so don't fret. Just hang onto rare SVT specific parts, those will be harder to find.
I think Contours will still have a strong following for the next several years.. The last V6 Taurus SHO is 10 years old now, and it's getting hard to find them in good shape anymore. 3-series BMWs and Nissan Maximas are more expensive to buy and fix, and are hard to come by in the Midwest.
I had a Thunderbird Turbo Coupe; mine was an '88 which was the last year for them. They still have a very strong following. There are two large forums for them (turboford.org and turbotbird.org), and they organize a convoy to the Carlisle Ford show every year.
I'm on my 2nd Contour/Mystique.
I bought a 98 Mystique zetec ztx last year from my aunt and uncle for cheap and it was a great car. I liked everything about it,except the engine and tranny,and after joining CEG soon discovered the wonderful world of the Duratec 2.5 and 3.0 engines. Just a few months ago,I got bored with the Zetec ATX and decided since I loved it so much,I'm going to go out and buy the car I want this time. Well,I didn't have the money sitting around to buy an SVT (but with the money I've spent on my car now,I actually could have bought one!) but I was able to find a V6 MTX dirt cheap in better shape than my Mystique.
I love my Contour so much that if someone came to my door right now and was willing to give me a stupid amount of money for the car,it would be tempting with the cash sitting infront of me,but I wouldn't sell it. Ok,maybe I would....but I'd go buy another one,but an SVT! haha. But no,I can't see myself selling my car anytime in the near future.
My car is a 1995 GL V6 MTX with almost 277 000km on the original engine. I've replaced just about every part on the car since I bought it on May 1,2005.
Current mods include:
SVT E1 rims with 225/50/16 Potenza RE730 tires (need replacing next season)
SE side skirts
Full set of Silverstars
tinted windows
Vibrant intake
Ford racing 9mm wires
Cleaned out TB
Removed resonator
Magnaflow high flow cat
Ractive muffler
painted engine bay stuff,grille,brake calipers and interior trim.
Parts replaced include:
Rear struts and springs
Rear brake rotors and pads
E-brake cable
Front brake pads
Tires
water pump and WP belt
Plug wires
Both drive shafts and front wheel bearings
transmission
So,in exactly 3 months,I've dropped over $4500 into my car. Next year it will be repainted,lowered and I plan to either do up my motor a little more or just go all out and do a 3L swap.
I just don't want to get rid of this car,and I think the Contour is one of the best relatively unknown platforms with so much potential inside. That's why I love these cars,because nobody expects to see what some of us have done to our cars. We are truly different. or nuts.
I think I'll be keeping the SVT for a long time. I'll fix or replace whatever breaks. I really want to keep it as my 2nd car when I get a new one in a few years which will most likely be a C5.
A friend of mine has a '98 Vette. It's a great car, LOTS of fun to drive (too bad his is a slushbox though). However I couldn't stand owning one because it attracts so much attention, most of which is undesirable. Cops follow you, people don't let you into traffic, people walking down the street yell "DO A BURNOUT!", and every jackass with a F-Body, Mustang, or Monte Carlo SS wants to race. You can't run to the store to get a pack of smokes without feeling like you're in some kind of parade.
Personally, a Caddy CTS-V would be more up my alley. Comparable (if not better) performance, without the "LOOK AT ME!!!!!!" styling.
Originally posted by rearden:
Personally, a Caddy CTS-V would be more up my alley. Comparable (if not better) performance, without the "LOOK AT ME!!!!!!" styling.
what? I can spot a V from prob 200 yards away - try again!
as for the original posts -
I along with other people still have an enthusist mindset about contours. I dont think ill own one again for a LONG time - maybe sometime down the road ill pick up another T-red 98 and love it again, but I havnt lost the interest in the platform, just the desire to put up with its charictaristic problems.
Originally posted by SVT PETE:
00 SVT w/ 34,000 miles
Major mods:
3.0 w/ 3,000 miles
Torsen
SPEC clutch, flywheel
OZ Superleggeras
Baer brakes
Konis + GCs
rear bucket seats
etc. etc. etc.
Money spent:
I average about 500 miles per year, and figure to be one of the last remaining CEGers.
...........i figure to be one of the last remaing ones as well..well one of the last pre98 se's...i'll never get rid of it..i mean 110k+ and i'm still dropping money in mods on it like it was only 4 years old not nearly 10
Originally posted by tour96se:
Originally posted by SVT PETE:
00 SVT w/ 34,000 miles
Major mods:
3.0 w/ 3,000 miles
Torsen
SPEC clutch, flywheel
OZ Superleggeras
Baer brakes
Konis + GCs
rear bucket seats
etc. etc. etc.
Money spent:
I average about 500 miles per year, and figure to be one of the last remaining CEGers.
...........i figure to be one of the last remaing ones as well..well one of the last pre98 se's...i'll never get rid of it..i mean 110k+ and i'm still dropping money in mods on it like it was only 4 years old not nearly 10
I plan to have my contour for a long time also. its on'y got 76k on it at the moment and running strong, less a small oil leak I need to track down
my mystique is still runnin strong to, plan to rebuild that engine when it goes as the body is on better shape then my 99 per surface rust that is under the car
It kinda take a little chip off the block from said comment.
I know I'm newb as far as cars go. But I've learned ALOT, possibly even more then I need to know about cars, in the year I've owned the Tour! And pretty much all of it is from this site! Everyone here is awesome in their wealth of knowledge.
And if my SE atx dies I'm going ISO of either an svt or an se manual. And depending how it dies I may keep it and use one for the 3L conversion.
Originally posted by ZeroHour:
It kinda take a little chip off the block from said comment.
I know I'm newb as far as cars go. But I've learned ALOT, possibly even more then I need to know about cars, in the year I've owned the Tour! And pretty much all of it is from this site! Everyone here is awesome in their wealth of knowledge.
And if my SE atx dies I'm going ISO of either an svt or an se manual. And depending how it dies I may keep it and use one for the 3L conversion.
"...In Search of, Of."
My willingness to stick with my tour is probably a mix of economic sense and the fact that it's a pretty fun car to drive.
I've still got a year left on it, and I don't want another car payment for at least a few years. Plus, I've put around $3,000 into my car in repairs. So my options are few: sell it for the amount left I owe for it (I'd say I'd be safe selling it for what I owe on it--it has 103,000 and will need some scratch/dent repair) and buy a beater (which I might end up pouring money into anyway); trade it in and get a new car payment (not part of the plan!); or just drive it until it disintegrates in the street (while performing necessary mechanical repairs and maintenance, of course).
I think I'm just going to drive it as long as I can. There are worse cars you could be stuck with. My only thing is the car-guy in me always has the itch to drive something else, just for the sake of driving something else.
I've also been thinking about finding a cheap Contour or Mystique to use as a winter beater and then as a parts car come spring. My Mystique last winter was the best car I've ever driven in the snow,and this winter is the last winter (first winter I'll have this car) this car will ever see while I own it.
Isn't the Contour platform still in production as the Jaguar X-Type? Are there any Jaguar owners here?
IN Jan 2001, I bought a 1995 Mystique YA, V6, 5sp. I drive 600-750 miles per week on the interstate, and this car is a real pleasure to drive. I'm at 199.5k, I'll be hitting 200k early next week! I plan to drive the car another 4-5 years. I see no reason it won't make it to 300k miles or more.
My only real complaint with the car is that the back seat is too small, and it eats water pumps every 75k. Other than that it's been a very reliable car....
I hope Contour.ORG stays around for a long time to come!
My CSVT is going to be on the road for as long as I'm in college. After I get out, I'm going to get a new car... but I'm not going to sell the SVT. I plan on decking it out as a local show car, because I realize how rare they are. Hell, as far as I'm aware I'm one of only two CSVT owners in my immediate area... and by "immediate area" I'm actually talking a radius of probably 100 miles.
I agree the interest is waning. Most of us that bought these cars new and have a sizeable investment in them are dwindling in numbers. The younger kids are buying them as second or third owners, and don't have the financial resources to keep them in pristine shape. I have my dealer do 100% of whatever my cars needs, and I doubt if the next owner will be financially able to afford first class service. I agree that they will be like Vegas and Pintos....forgotten in another five years. Ford Motor Company off the record hates these cars, and can't wait for the last of them to die off. Ford insiders blamed Jac Nasser for the Contour, as well as the other ills of Ford Motor Company, and they won't waste any time snuffing their parts and service support of these cars.
Originally posted by Beachboy:
I agree the interest is waning. Most of us that bought these cars new and have a sizeable investment in them are dwindling in numbers. The younger kids are buying them as second or third owners, and don't have the financial resources to keep them in pristine shape. I have my dealer do 100% of whatever my cars needs, and I doubt if the next owner will be financially able to afford first class service. I agree that they will be like Vegas and Pintos....forgotten in another five years. Ford Motor Company off the record hates these cars, and can't wait for the last of them to die off. Ford insiders blamed Jac Nasser for the Contour, as well as the other ills of Ford Motor Company, and they won't waste any time snuffing their parts and service support of these cars.
I'm one of those younger owners. I may not have the financial resources to buy all the aftermarket parts I'd like to, but I am able to keep my car in top shape, and I intend to do that at the very least. On the whole though, you are correct.
Hey Rishodi, I agree many of you young guys can keep these cars in great shape, but from what I've seen in general, most of these cars end up in the hands of single mothers (ie, welfare queens) and others who buy them simply because they are cheap (thanks to their horrible depreciation). After the second or third owners, too many of them end up as literal beaters.
Since mine will have in excess of 200,000 miles on it, I can only imagine the type of person that would buy a car with that many miles. And I don't plan on getting rid of mine until it develops a serious problem, most likely a dead transmission. Even at that point, it will have a virgin back seat and an-almost virgin passenger seat.
These are gonna be the cars in 30 years people are trying to find parts to restore them because they had them in high school and college. But their just won't be the parts for them...
I too am one of the younger owners,at 19 right now. Literally every dollar I make at work gets put into this car,and then some. All my other cars were failed attempts at project cars and huge wastes of money in the end. (pair of '87 Celica GTS's,pair of 2nd gen Mazda RX7's,'98 Mystique zetec). In 3 years of driving,I'm already on my 7th car,so as you can see,a huge loss of money on all those cars,because I modified,or atleast started to,every one of those cars and 2 of them ended up at the wreckers,one I sold dirt cheap and traded the other in for the Contour.
I bought my Contour after thoroughly researching (ie: test driving a '95 SE V6 5 speed with a fresh engine,lol). The Contour is the perfect car for my needs. It was cheap,it looks good,it has 4 doors (cheaper on insurance) for practicality,a good sized trunk,lots of power,fun to drive,and a good base to mod with.
I've had my car for 3 months this week,and I have already spent just a tad over $5000 on repairs and mods if you can believe it. It was a one owner car,and completely original right from the suspension to the water pump.
But I love my car,and I really don't know what I'd buy if for some reason I needed to get a car to replace it.
Originally posted by ZeroHour:
These are gonna be the cars in 30 years people are trying to find parts to restore them because they had them in high school and college. But their just won't be the parts for them...
I don't agree. In 30 years, nobody is going to remember these cars or care. They are going to be about as popular as a '70 Maverick, a '71 Vega, or a '68 Rambler American. They won't even last as long as the cars I've mentioned....because the computerized fuel injection system will make them too costly to fix, even for shade tree mechanics. I can keep a '60 Ford Falcon running easily, but anything with electronics is going to be headed to the junk heap.
I've lost my interest in them.
Originally posted by Beachboy:
Originally posted by ZeroHour:
These are gonna be the cars in 30 years people are trying to find parts to restore them because they had them in high school and college. But their just won't be the parts for them...
I don't agree. In 30 years, nobody is going to remember these cars or care. They are going to be about as popular as a '70 Maverick, a '71 Vega, or a '68 Rambler American. They won't even last as long as the cars I've mentioned....because the computerized fuel injection system will make them too costly to fix, even for shade tree mechanics. I can keep a '60 Ford Falcon running easily, but anything with electronics is going to be headed to the junk heap.
While I agree the cars will long be forgotten someday,I want to disagree about the cost of repairing the elctronics and stuff. In 20 years or so,all the electronics on the cars will be so outdated,they'll be dirt cheap to buy.
Anyways,that's not exactly my opinion,just something I read somewhere a couple years ago and thought it was a pretty good point.
Originally posted by SleeperTour:
While I agree the cars will long be forgotten someday,I want to disagree about the cost of repairing the elctronics and stuff. In 20 years or so,all the electronics on the cars will be so outdated,they'll be dirt cheap to buy.
Anyways,that's not exactly my opinion,just something I read somewhere a couple years ago and thought it was a pretty good point.
I disagree with that..A lot of the electronics will no longer be mass-produced (if they're still produced at all), so they'll be more expensive and harder to come by. I know this from experience--I had to replace several ABS parts on my '88 Thunderbird. Most of them were either completely unavailable, discontinued and there were only a handful left in the whole country, or insanely expensive.
I'm sure fuel injection components for engines like a Chevy LS1 will be around pretty much forever since people tend to hold on to trucks and Vettes. But for a 2.5 Duratec? Good luck..