Looking to buy a Contour, are they reliable?

Originally posted by skrilla187:
You are on a Contour site of course we are gonna say they are reliable. Why else would we have one?

Umm.. People buy cars for a lot of reasons besides reliability. If it's all I cared about, I wouldn't be driving a Contour. They're not bad, but not quite up to Honda/Toyota standards.

My contour runs as good/better as any honda.

My SVT takes a daily beating and still runs like a champ. I am on my second clutch and I just turned 157,000. I dont buy into that, imports are more reliable crap anymore. When my parents went looking for an SUV, they were visiting the Hyundai lot and met this other guy. He proceeded to tell them about the motor on his Lexus letting go at 60,000 or 80,000 miles and how the dealer wanted 14,000 to fix it! So now he was getting a Hyundai!

My SVT has been very reliable...autocrosses, cruising, and many many, get the speed limit as fast as possible take offs! I would rather rebuild this one than buy another car right now....except for whats in my signature of course!!!

really hard ? to answer because on any used car honda or not if the previous owner/owners didn't care for it then you wind up in trouble. some things to look at is overall condition inside and out. you tell alot about the owner and how they cared for it. see if they kept maintance records. check the mileage and ask alot of ?'s. used contours for the money are great cars, ride/handle nice, good in snow and for the most part reliable.

mine has been great only a couple of very minor issues covered under warranty. so far so good but umm I only got 46,000 miles on it so i haven't got any high mileage problems that can come up.(knocks on wood)but i say go for it.

2000 svt contour. bone stock. 76000 miles no problems, oh wait except for my axle. Besides that, its been great to me. Taken it on a few trips and its still a champ. I'm boutta run this motor till about 120-130 k maybe more, then upgrade to a 3l.

Welcome.

Check out our classifieds.

http://www.contour.org/classifieds/classifieds.php?t=1&c=2

I'll be the one to rain on the thread.

I've had problems with mine. Owned since 2001 (driven by my sister in 2002, otherwise mine) and 24K miles; now at 76K. Several things repaired under warranty (fuel pump, muffler, ignition switch, and more), and many more repairs thereafter. Suffice to say as much as I love this car I've lost confidence driving it after a yearlong string of thousand-dollar-plus repairs (three of them, all on different aspects of the car) and just knowing that other things are ready to go or have gone (tranny clunks when cold, A/C is nonfunctional, etc.).

In all reality though, it can be a situation of bad luck. I know many people on this site drive their Contours much harder than I've ever done mine and had little to no problems with theirs. Mine rides like new when it's not in the shop -- there are barely any squeaks or rattles at all.

Generally, you can rest assured that you'll love the car no matter the problems (or lack of

). For example, I'll likely own an SVT in the future, it just won't be my reliable daily driver based on my experience with this car.

to the post above ^^
Thanks for being honest, I'd rather someone say that than just telling me they have no problems at all and having me run into them later.
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Originally posted by Tony2005:
Welcome. Check out our classifieds.

http://www.contour.org/classifieds/classifieds.php?t=1&c=2

Nice to see the car I was looking for in there

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I might give the guy a call if he doesn't reply to my email soon enough. I'm wondering whether or not he'll have his maintenance records since he might not have done all his maintenance at the dealers. It would sure be nice though.

I'm just a little worried, as anyone would be. The car is 45 minutes away so I don't know any mechanics up in Michigan. I hope I can figure something out

I believe everyone who posted was honest, we just haven't had problems with our cars to talk about. I'm not being hard on you but just about all makes have some problems so it is hard to compare or tell you exactally what you want to hear.

I'll give you my run down of past rides,

1978 mustang II cobra, good car no problems just body rust.

1981 pontiac grand prix, horrible..blew an engine, replaced it, computer burned out, replaced it. steering box problems, wheel bearing failure etc, etc.

1990 ford tempo great car no problems I mean none sold it at 160,000 miles

1995 escort never a problem(wifes car)

1988 honda accord..popped a timing belt, needed a distributor(wouldn't hold timing worn shaft)fuel pump,body rot, radiator etc.

1996 taurus never a problem perfect

1992 saturn sc2 bought with 120,000 still have it(my sons now)no problems

1998 taurus sho tranny and motor knock sh*t box

1999 explorer minor issues traded in for 2003 explorer flawless

1996 sable(my winter car)so far so good

and the contour very minor problems.

so you see just by my examples you just don't know you could get the svt and be totally fine or have issues.

get the svt take your chances it is one hell of a nice car

Originally posted by skunk:
really hard ? to answer because on any used car honda or not if the previous owner/owners didn't care for it then you wind up in trouble. some things to look at is overall condition inside and out. you tell alot about the owner and how they cared for it. see if they kept maintance records.

Sometimes. My Contour looks dirty on the outside on most days (don't have a garage and park under trees most of the time. And work in the field quite a few days). On the inside, it looks like new as I have not messed it up. As for the engine, tranny, etc., I have kept up with the maintenance as well as I could (dealer, indies and recently myself). My suggestion is to drive it hard on the test drive. If it doesn't "perform", you should be suspicious abd definitely have a mechanic check it out. In anycase, I wonder if $7,500 is a little too high for a 98.5

Originally posted by skunk:
I believe everyone who posted was honest, we just haven't had problems with our cars to talk about. I'm not being hard on you but just about all makes have some problems so it is hard to compare or tell you exactally what you want to hear.
<snip>
so you see just by my examples you just don't know you could get the svt and be totally fine or have issues.

get the svt take your chances it is one hell of a nice car

Wholeheartedly agreed. It was not my intention to insinuate dishonesty among others here to get you to buy the car - after all, we're not salesmen here!

As said, "most" Contours seem to treat you well if you treated it well, as with most cars in general. The investment of any car in particular is a chance though, especially used without warranty, of course.

This particular car does have engineering quirks (some of which alias stated above), but if you stick around on the site you'll learn exactly what's up and how to circumvent all of those areas.

I'd still say get the SVT. My post was primarily to let you know there is a chance it's might not be 120% perfect as others' are -- but in all reality it's the same way buying almost any car of this age.

Originally posted by Tony2005:
and definitely have a mechanic check it out. In anycase, I wonder if $7,500 is a little too high for a 98.5

I'll try my best to find a mechanic in the area, though I don't know.

The carfax report turned out fine, while the car went in for service 3 times around 30k miles. I'll ask him.

$7500 for the 98.5, it has the aftermarket rims and springs, stereo, and an extra set of rims/tires (i'm thinking the stock rims and tires before he swapped those out?).. And if the car has any flaws I'm not aware of when I get there, the price'll probably be talked down, because I've heard these should be around $6000 maybe? Not too many miles for a 98 though

And about the comment saying I'll run into the same problems with mostly any car of this age, I totally agree. My brother seems to think I'll be overwhelmed with the poor gas mileage compared to a civic and how much I'll have to service it. But that's what comes with a car this fun isn't it? Maybe my brother's just turning me off because this car looks nicer than his

My list of problems:

2 Diffs
2 Clutches
a few synchros, shifter forks (other [censored] in there i dunno)
1 Axle Shaft
2 Starters
2 Alternators
1 Cat Converter
4 o2 sensors
Tie Rods...I forget which ones
4 Struts
1 Oil Pan
2 Lower Control Arms
1 Battery
2 Trans Mounts
A Million fog lamp bulbs
1 IAC
1 DPFE Sensor
1 EGR
1 Rear Parking Brake Cable
2 Crank Sensors
Various A/C parts
2 sets of tires
1 Wheel Bearing
1 set of brakes, pads and rotors

My list of problems :

1. DPFE

This was my 98.5 purchased new in Jan'99, sold in May'05.

Originally posted by Berkel:
My brother seems to think I'll be overwhelmed with the poor gas mileage compared to a civic and how much I'll have to service it. But that's what comes with a car this fun isn't it? Maybe my brother's just turning me off because this car looks nicer than his

A nice teardown of the UIM/LIM with fresh filters and a gentle foot can net mid 24mpg, with 31-32 on the freeway not hard at all (at 80mph or so!!)

Even a heavy foot (and I mean LEAD heavy) can and will only dip to 16-19city.. counter those number with the FUN you can have (vs the "fun" you have with a lead footed honda... MPG dips but you don't go any faster

) and you have a winner.

Ray

Originally posted by Tony2005:
and definitely have a mechanic check it out. In anycase, I wonder if $7,500 is a little too high for a 98.5

Thats what I paid for my bone stock CSVT 2 years ago with 62k on it.

Originally posted by Berkel:

I'll try my best to find a mechanic in the area, though I don't know.

Welcome to the CEG!

Stop into the Michigan forums, post and see if one of those guys can go see this car with you. The Michigan guys know their stuff (

) and can assist you with determining if the car is something you should consider.

As far as my SVT, nothing major (knocks wood). I have only done preventative maintenance stuff to it. Changed out the WP, belt/tensioner, plugs/wires, did a tranny drain/fill, flushed the brake fluid, flushed and refilled the cooling system, did an UIM/LIM cleaning and replaced a few parts "just because it was time".

I actually had a Mercury Mystique, 4 cyl, sister to the contour. I've had a battery go dead, spark plug and spark plug wires replaced, motor mounts replaced, sway bar replaced. about 4 tires replaced (I kept running over sh*t)... and the biggy, my transmission failed on mine. So now it is currently for sell. But besides those problems, it was a great handling car. I loved it, and your purchasing the SVT... gotta be better right? I think it is a great car to have...

Steve

Thanks for everyone's help. I'll see if I can get anyone in Michigan to help me out.

I've had several people tell me "Ford? Reliable? Yeah right." .. But then I've also heard the Contour SVT's have far higher reliability than the other Contours.

Hopefully everything turns out good

The guy has kept the car garage kept and has babied it (so he says), has all service records, and has only had to replace one part (front wheel bearing) so the car keeps looking even more promising. Now if the waterpump still hasn't been replaced, I don't know what to think, but if so maybe the price will need to be worked. He belongs to these forums as well.

FWIW: by the start/middle of the 98MY, MOST if not 99% of the contours being manufactured were being equipped with the updated impellar. This would include ANY SVT.

Ray

glad you followed my advice on OT and dropped by

Originally posted by The Davis:
glad you followed my advice on OT and dropped by

Thanks for the advice. Everyone's been damn helpful

Ray: So supposedly the impellers should be fine on 98.5 on up? My brother said his water pump on his 2000 should be ready to go, he's at 52k miles

Originally posted by Berkel:

Originally posted by The Davis:
glad you followed my advice on OT and dropped by

Thanks for the advice. Everyone's been damn helpful

Ray: So supposedly the impellers should be fine on 98.5 on up? My brother said his water pump on his 2000 should be ready to go, he's at 52k miles

99 and up, to my recollection. Could be wrong though.

Originally posted by Berkel:

Ray: So supposedly the impellers should be fine on 98.5 on up? My brother said his water pump on his 2000 should be ready to go, he's at 52k miles

It's better to be safe than sorry. Go ahead and doublecheck just for the sake of saving yourself a lot of time and worry, regardless of the year of the car. At most, it takes 10 minutes to find out if you have the white impellar or not. If you have a black one, replace it with a white or a metal one.

-SAV

Check out this post.

http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=general&Number=1070263&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=2&fpart=1#Post1071134

Originally posted by Berkel:

Originally posted by The Davis:
glad you followed my advice on OT and dropped by

Thanks for the advice. Everyone's been damn helpful

Ray: So supposedly the impellers should be fine on 98.5 on up? My brother said his water pump on his 2000 should be ready to go, he's at 52k miles

Many people think they know something about their car when they are dead wrong. The only major problem with the late 99s to 2000 IMO is the lousy returnless fuel pump. My car is chugging below 1/3 of a tank and I'm at 57K. A friend of mine lost hers around 58K. Toss that worthless filter in the fuel pump when you change it out. I think the car is worth every penny I paid for it. $5K cash got me a V-6 4-door that gets 25/32 MPG with a 0-60 of 8 seconds and enough room to hold 4 people. Oh yeah and it only had 38K miles on it.

Contours have many fine qualities. Reliability is not one of them.

Originally posted by cheapest GL around:
Contours have many fine qualities. Reliability is not one of them.

This, from someone with a screen name "cheapest GL around"

Great info. Im in the same boat. I have a 99 Contour LX 4 cylinder with 70,000 miles but I am in love with the SVT's. I too am in the process in finding an SVT to buy. I looked at the same car as he did. But I simply couldnt muster up the $7000. I was looking to spend no more than $5000. Sometimes I wonder if I should just buy an SVT kit and not the whole car. What other car can I get with $5000 that has this kind of performance?

Originally posted by jtour:
Great info. Im in the same boat. I have a 99 Contour LX 4 cylinder with 70,000 miles but I am in love with the SVT's. I too am in the process in finding an SVT to buy. I looked at the same car as he did. But I simply couldnt muster up the $7000. I was looking to spend no more than $5000. Sometimes I wonder if I should just buy an SVT kit and not the whole car. What other car can I get with $5000 that has this kind of performance?

$5000 will buy a nice older Mustang/F-Body if you're looking for performance. You should also be able to find an SVT in that range of you look around. Try eBay. My dad has bought two cars that way, and had great luck with both.

But personally, I passed up on a nice '91 5.0 LX 5-speed notchback with a few bolt-ons in favor of my Contour. The 'Stang was a lot faster of course, but it felt like a primitive old rattletrap. Loose chassis, squirrely rear end, squeaks and rattles galore, not much feel for the road, etc.

The guy who had the it for sale thought I was insane for buying a Contour in favor of his car, until I took him on a twisty road. Said it was one of the best-handling cars he's ever been in, and he couldn't believe a little 4-door sedan could do what it does.

Originally posted by Tony2005:

Originally posted by cheapest GL around:
Contours have many fine qualities. Reliability is not one of them.

This, from someone with a screen name "cheapest GL around"

The reason I was driving the cheapest GL around is because my other GL expired while I was unemployed. When the second GL died too, I got a new Mazda.

Originally posted by rearden:

Originally posted by jtour:
Great info. Im in the same boat. I have a 99 Contour LX 4 cylinder with 70,000 miles but I am in love with the SVT's. I too am in the process in finding an SVT to buy. I looked at the same car as he did. But I simply couldnt muster up the $7000. I was looking to spend no more than $5000. Sometimes I wonder if I should just buy an SVT kit and not the whole car. What other car can I get with $5000 that has this kind of performance?

$5000 will buy a nice older Mustang/F-Body if you're looking for performance. You should also be able to find an SVT in that range of you look around. Try eBay. My dad has bought two cars that way, and had great luck with both.

But personally, I passed up on a nice '91 5.0 LX 5-speed notchback with a few bolt-ons in favor of my Contour. The 'Stang was a lot faster of course, but it felt like a primitive old rattletrap. Loose chassis, squirrely rear end, squeaks and rattles galore, not much feel for the road, etc.

The guy who had the it for sale thought I was insane for buying a Contour in favor of his car, until I took him on a twisty road. Said it was one of the best-handling cars he's ever been in, and he couldn't believe a little 4-door sedan could do what it does.

Thats the thing. I like the SVT contours. I dont know what its but I want one. So I will continue to look. But a Mustang of F-body wouldnt be bad.

Thanks for everyone's help

One last question, if the car has been maintained great up until this point, can I muster a good 120k miles out of the car if I perform all the maintenance check points and keep things runnin well? I don't intend on beating on it.

I'm gonna need this car to last me a while, but I would much rather have this than a honda civic

Originally posted by Berkel:

One last question, if the car has been maintained great up until this point, can I muster a good 120k miles out of the car if I perform all the maintenance check points and keep things runnin well?

Sure! No problem.

If you're a bit lucky, that is...

Originally posted by Berkel:
.. if the car has been maintained great up until this point, can I muster a good 120k miles out of the car if I perform all the maintenance check points and keep things runnin well? I don't intend on beating on it.

I'm gonna need this car to last me a while, ..

A resounding YES.

Originally posted by Tony2005:

A resounding YES.

Awesome, a lot of people i talk to in person seem to tell me that it's far downhill after 70 grand, maybe they just havent seen too many SVT's

Also, I just found out that the 'waterpump' AND the 'struts' still havent been replaced.
The car is in excellent condition, but I can see those two parts going soon. He has used mobil 1 synthetic oil since 5000 miles. Included is an extra set of wheels and tires and everything looks perfect on the car.

But I don't think it's worth $7500 when the struts and waterpump are going to need to be swapped very soon. Should I discuss this with him and see if I can get the price reworked?

Originally posted by Berkel:
...But I don't think it's worth $7500 when the struts and waterpump are going to need to be swapped very soon. Should I discuss this with him and see if I can get the price reworked?

Yep. The worst he could do is say no.

Originally posted by Berkel:

Originally posted by Tony2005:

A resounding YES.

Awesome, a lot of people i talk to in person seem to tell me that it's far downhill after 70 grand, maybe they just havent seen too many SVT's

Not to jack the post..........but would buying a 98cSVT with 128,000 miles be a bad buy for $3000?

Originally posted by jtour:
..

Not to jack the post..........but would buying a 98cSVT with 128,000 miles be a bad buy for $3000?

If it works well, run, don't walk to pick it up, and don't tell Berkel where it is.

I picked up my 99 CSVT in april with 114xxx miles on it. since then im up to 130,xxx (yes, 16,000 miles that quick). lets see, whats wrong with the car....

-ebrake cable is broken (bought it that way)
-replaced 1 O2 sensor on the back, what a PITA
-when replacing the pulg wires i broke a valvecover (dont ask) and replaced that.

and thats pretty much it. i dont remember anything else that has gone bad on the car. otherwise, i usually get about 30 on the highway, 22 in town, and i do drive "spirited." but otherwise it has been a blast. i switched over to mobil 1 also when buyign the car. no problems, and i do a few 600-700 miles trips a year between MN and MI.

i was in the same boat as you. i was looking to spend about 5000 or so, and i knew i could get a civic and get better gas milage reliability, but there is alot of preventive matinence that you must do on a honda as well. i got the SVT becasue it is different. it turns alot of heads, and sounds great. but im expecting mine to go for quite a while. 130,xxx on it and it isnt even breaking a sweat. still quiet and smooth. good luck with it!

Originally posted by MNstuckinMI:
I picked up my 99 CSVT in april with 114xxx miles on it. since then im up to 130,xxx (yes, 16,000 miles that quick). lets see, whats wrong with the car....

-ebrake cable is broken (bought it that way)
-replaced 1 O2 sensor on the back, what a PITA
-when replacing the pulg wires i broke a valvecover (dont ask) and replaced that.

and thats pretty much it. i dont remember anything else that has gone bad on the car. otherwise, i usually get about 30 on the highway, 22 in town, and i do drive "spirited." but otherwise it has been a blast. i switched over to mobil 1 also when buyign the car. no problems, and i do a few 600-700 miles trips a year between MN and MI.

i was in the same boat as you. i was looking to spend about 5000 or so, and i knew i could get a civic and get better gas milage reliability, but there is alot of preventive matinence that you must do on a honda as well. i got the SVT becasue it is different. it turns alot of heads, and sounds great. but im expecting mine to go for quite a while. 130,xxx on it and it isnt even breaking a sweat. still quiet and smooth. good luck with it!

Gives me hope

Thanks for the info everyone.

I'm set on this car, hoping to talk the price down a few hundred. Hopefully no one changes my mind and finds a nice civic

Originally posted by MNstuckinMI:
I picked up my 99 CSVT in april with 114xxx miles on it. since then im up to 130,xxx (yes, 16,000 miles that quick). lets see, whats wrong with the car....

-ebrake cable is broken (bought it that way)
-replaced 1 O2 sensor on the back, what a PITA
-when replacing the pulg wires i broke a valvecover (dont ask) and replaced that.

and thats pretty much it. i dont remember anything else that has gone bad on the car. otherwise, i usually get about 30 on the highway, 22 in town, and i do drive "spirited." but otherwise it has been a blast. i switched over to mobil 1 also when buyign the car. no problems, and i do a few 600-700 miles trips a year between MN and MI.

i was in the same boat as you. i was looking to spend about 5000 or so, and i knew i could get a civic and get better gas milage reliability, but there is alot of preventive matinence that you must do on a honda as well. i got the SVT becasue it is different. it turns alot of heads, and sounds great. but im expecting mine to go for quite a while. 130,xxx on it and it isnt even breaking a sweat. still quiet and smooth. good luck with it!

Man, I had no idea you're SVT had that many miles on it, the thing looks so beautiful still, it turns my head every time I see it in town... Normally I only see you downtown.

yeah, its got a few rounds on it. thanks! you probably only see it near downtown cause i live down there! but i get around midland some. like....... over to meyers, and northwood. i do need to clean my wheels really well though. i kind of let it get away from me and when i washed it today, not all the brake dust is coming off. so i need to spend some time on them soon. but im hoping that it goes for a long time!

Joel

Went and saw the car on Saturday and his 1998 is better looking than my brother's 2000, way better

The car is seriously flawless, I'm hoping it doesn't sell by some crazy buyer, because im planning to pick it up in a week

Thanks for the help guys.