I didn't even know what the SVT Contour was about 6 months before I got it. I realy wanted a Mustang GT but couldn't get with the insurance costs so I tried to look for something that was American and resonably quick. Found the Contour, looked around here, and have driven it ever since.

I still need a lot more power and RWD but I will probably keeping the Contour for really long time. It's too rare to give up.

Bought new after a lot of careful consideration of many different cars.

My CRX Si was totalled and I needed a bigger car anyway since we were starting a family.

I "loved" Maxima SEs but this car won my dollar. I don't regret it (usually).

If it was 1996 again, I'd do it again.

for me... I had to start finding a car... I wanted to find a decent sized car for a good price. I looked at Escorts, and the only ones I liked were the GT's and ZX2's which both were out of my price range (I would have taken them regaurdless of it they are 2 door or not)... I looked at Honda Civic's which I only liked the 2 door... and I REALLY wanted a 4 door car, mileage was too high to find one in my price range also. I looked into Daewoo, and came SUPER close to buying a 2000 Lanos Hatchback with an automatic... But decided against it. My brother calls me one day and says "What about a contour?" Both of us knowing very little about them... He pointed me in the direction of a 96 Mystique LS which was out of my price range (which I SHOULD have tried to get because an mechanic had owned it). AND the other option was a 96 Contour GL. There was literally NO information about this car in the paper except where to look at it. I showed up, and low and behold its 1) in my faveriote color (NO thats not what determines buying a car for me). The body was in pretty good shape. I walk up closer to it.. and i see that it has a stick... That was the killing point, I HAD to have the car. 100K miles, but when we started it... Ran like a top. Took it for a drive, and thats when I knew... I had to jump on this car. I had my dad look it over, said it was a good buy. Bought it within the week for $1750 out the door. 2K miles later... Timing belt snapped in my driveway... i got about 10 minutes of warning on my drive home from school. I got over charged to replace that and my serpentine belt. Ive also had a bunch of little various problems that I have delt with... Lately I have needed Sway bar links and bushings... I have no money to replace them... Nor do I have any time... it makes me sad because the klunking noise drives me NUTS!. I love how the car drives, I love the unique styling of the car, and if I could... I would never give mine up. I REALLY want to drop a new engine and trans into it if mine ever gives out. But I know that I need to get rid of her some day, its a sad day for a kid to let his first car go to some other kid who probably will beat the [censored] out of it. But Its ok... because the contour spirit will roll on in my Focus! HEHEHE.

My second car was a 98 Mystique, bought it one year old. It was a zetec ATX. I replaced the tranny at 80K KM and both front wheel bearings within a few months of owning it. I was pretty happy to get rid of it shortly after. I replaced it with a 2000 Focus SE MTX and it felt like a rocket compared to the Mystique . I have since owned a WRX and blew the tranny in it had tons of problems with it and was also happy to get rid of it. I started pickup up beaters and fixing them up to sell them. I came accross my current 96 Mystique and figured it was a good deal and I would do the same, sell it within a few months. Then in fixing it I came accross the 3.0L forum The rest is history.

BTW no I haven't blown my stock diff

I started with a 97 SE Sport only because I wanted a stick after driving atx for years. After calling 25 to 30 dealers and coming up with about 6 cars, I went to my Ford dealer and told him to find me something. He came up with a black 97 Sport Zetec. I bought it because I was tired of looking, talk about fate. That's what brought me to where I am today. The longer I had the Contour, the more I liked it, and now I have my SVT. God, what a country!! And, like JCSVT says, it's just too rare to give up. I'll never, ever again be able to say I own 1 of 207 that were ever made. That's just too cool.

Freshly out of high school I went in seach of a new car. It was between a 98 chevy malibu 4cy and 99 contour 6cy. Fell in love with it the minute I test drove it. Didnt even bother looking elsewhere. 2 years later I bought my CSVT, which I trully enjoy.

I just had my Celica spin a bearing in the motor,and that was the end of that. I had no money to actually go out and buy something I wanted,like a MkIII Supra or a 240SX,when my aunt and uncle offered me their '98 Mystique Zetec ATX for $1000. I hummed and hawed about it for a few days. I had always liked the bodystyle of the Contiques,but I didn't really want an automatic. A few days later,I finally decided to buy it and just use it as temporary transportation.

Well,going from a 1987 Toyota to a 1998 Ford is a pretty big jump in style,technology and quality,and after a few weeks of thinking 'oh man,19 years old with a granny car,this sucks' I kept driving the car and a little while later I was bitten by the Contour bug and started to modify the car. I liked the comfort,the style,the practicality and economy. At the time,I'd never heard of CEG,never thought anyone would do these cars up. So I started doing some stuff to it,and then started searching the internet for info and I stumbled across CEG. From there,things took off. I started to do it up a bit, but then I started getting sick and tired of the zetec and atx,so I inquired about a 2.5 swap.

I was told a 2.5 swap from a 2.0 was going to be too costly and difficult and it would almost be cheaper to go buy a new car. So I traded in my love that grew on me for the love I'd had my eye on for a while,a pre98 V6 MTX.

I've never been happier. The Contour has been the best car I've had,I would,and will most definetly buy another one. The bang for the buck you get out of these cars is great.Add in dirt cheap resale value,cheap parts,lots of guys (CEG) with know how and a good base vehicle to modify,the Contour is the perfect practical package. Let the wife take it shopping,then you can take it to the track on the weekend.

I've owned modified Celicas and Mazda RX7s,and my Contour is more fun than them. Especially when people see a done up Contour they're like 'WTF is that?!' and when they see a done up RX7 or Celica they're like 'meh,just another one.'

I like my car because it looks great,both when stock,and now even more so modified,performs and handles well,is extremely comfortable,practical,reliable and economical. I honestly can't think of another car I would buy to replace my Contour with,except for another Contour or Mystique.

sort of forced into it bc you cant really put a car seat in a rx-7 convertible. so i was looking to get a four door that was still on the enthusiast side of things although i had a little room for compromise bc of still having the cuda. ran across the car about two days after i read an article on the csvt and bought it a week later. even though it is fwd i have grown to love it more as time has passed.

Bought it brand new; honestly not b/c I liked it - was an affordable choice back then...

Heh. I didn't have a choice in the matter. I was forced into getting this car or no car. However, I can't complain, it is a nice vehicle. I can complain, because my sister got a '91 cherry rd Miata 5speed for hers and I got some Mercury sedan with a 4-banger. Doesn't seem very fair to me.

i was originaly looking into a csvt, but being as it would have been my first car, i really didnt want a manuel so then i was looking all over for a contour se with a V6 but i couldnt faind ANY in the area...so i told a salesman friend of mine to keep his eyes peeled for a contour and one day he called me and said he had a 98 mystique 4 cyl on the lot....

i figured what do i have to lose and i went to look at it. i had never really looked intot he mystique before then and when i say it i fell inlove with it. i liked the look of it better, cause i thought it loked meaner haha. but i drove it and it was much nicer than the contours i drove. i bought it that night and have been soo happy ever since.

but i specifically wanted to buy a contique. i looked around for months and saved my money. i wanted something that had great handeling and looked good, with 4 doors and i found the best car that had all of my expectaions. any trim level, these cars are fun to drive, good cars and im glad i mad the desicion!

I got the '96 Stique (Zetec MTX) for free from my dad. After driving it for a little over a year, I decided if I could find just the right one, I'd buy a 2000 V6 MTX. I found one and bought it. Now I'm slowly working on the '96s fate...

Much like Kim (FrenchBlue) , it was love at first sight for us too .
I was helping my brother look for a Contour to replace his Escort GT , as he needed a car with more room inside . We went to a local Ford dealership one evening to check out a prospect . We stepped out of the car & walked towards the Contour & the lights from the dealership were blazing off the teal-blue paint like a spotlight . I knew I had to have it ... I drove it & I was reassured ! My brother would have to wait (he HAD to have a MTX car anyways) . I brought the wife back to the dealership the next night & we bought ourselves a '95 SE . While we were signing the papers , the salesman took us outside & took our picture with the car , so we actually have a picture of our first minute of Contour ownership ! A month later , my brother found himself a MTX Contour - a teal '95 SE ... 2 in the family !!

A few problem-free years later (honestly) , we saw our last chance to own a NEW SVT Contour . I found an '00 CSVT in late January of '01 , sitting in a dealership showroom just waiting to be scarfed up . We traded our '95 SE in on the CSVT & the rest is history . I don't know whether it was a good move or a bad one , but it's history none-the-less .

I've been hooked on CEG for about 7 years & counting !

My parents got a black '99 SE Contour a long time ago when one of the normal cars needed something fixed. I got to drive it a few times and instantly loved it. At the time I was looking into getting an SVT Focus (IIRC it was right before they were released), and would've ended up with one had we not gotten that Contour rental car.

Ever since I saw a SVT Contour on the road, I fell in love. About 4 years later, I was shopping for a car and found it by accident. Test drove it, and that was it for me. I had to have it.

A friend of mine in orange county California had one. He let me drive it one time when we went to lunch. Needless to say it was love at first drive. He had it lowered with a few simple mods but the very next day I was out shopping for one. When I found two at my local dealership, I had the chance to buy one and I took it. I was debating whether or not to wait for the svt focus or a type r intgra but the csvt won hands down. The only sad part ot my story is that the day I was to go in and sign the papers, the choice between two was narrowed down to one. When I asked if the silver one had been sold they sadly replied "no, when the porter was moving to the back to get it washed, he backed it into a pole a damaged the rear." They asked if I wanted to wait a few weeks to have it repaired and they would take a few hundred off, but I said nope I'll take the black one. It's been love ever since.

All I was really looking for was a decent sedan that had a floor shifter (wasn't even considering standards at the time; I just didn't want a column shift!). Long story short .. found a 2000 T-red Contour SE at a Ford dealership but the salesman was treating my dad and I like dirt, so we left although I liked the car. Went to another nearby Ford dealership, and saw a 1998 T-red Contour SE. This one had the V6 engine, about half the miles, keyless entry (a BIG deal), alloys, and was about a grand cheaper than the other. My dad worked it down another thousand and we left with the car on March 3, 2001. Mom found a website called www.contour.org ... I registered and made a post something about the fuel pump (was to be replaced under warranty) and how the headlights were crappy.

My first post My second post

A few months down the road, I was looking at an old jounal I used to keep and noticed an entry I had made way back in eighth grade, expressing desire for a 1996 Ford Contour (namely because I liked the style of the taillights). Destiny, I suppose

Who said I liked my contour?

I bought it as my first car as it was a decent deal.
I wouldn't buy the same model again, I would buy a svt.
It has been reliable and somewhat fun so I guess I like it well enough.

Sweet to hear how people got there cars and how there love has grown. I remember buying my contour in 99 and buying a new set of rims the very next month. The guy putting my rims on said "Wow I have never put rims on a contour before." It was such a great day!

Love always. haha I bought my Contour because I was in the market for my first car. I looked at ALOT of cars. I test drove grand ams, grand prixs, taurus, looked at an escort, looked into mid 90s beretta's, looked into maybe getting a ranger or an s-10 (winters here can suck). Only import company we even looked at was subaru, but there really wasn't anything around were I live. Almost bought a Mercury Sable. I was told I could not have a mustang or camareo. Basicly look at everything. Until after school I found an email from my dad, told me to be ready to go look at a car once he got home from work. Went and test drove my Contour that night and loved it. God I knew nothing about cars like I do now, but even then I knew that the small v6 had good power, the suspension was nice and there was alot of options and a spacious interior. We drove it for around 15-20 miles and it was sold.

The Contour was by far the best choice!

my mom gave me her 1995 GL contour when she got a new car. i sold it a couple months later when i bought my current car. the end.

~Andrew

I was a college student whose minivan was on its last leg. My father forced me to get a Contour. It was just transportation in my eyes, didn't really like it or dislike it.

I had been looking at them for a bit, then my '94 Jetta crapped out on me and I was stuck for a car. I had my Ford dealership go out and find mine for me. It was one of two V6 MTX's left on the lot. Bought it sight unseen, without a test drive. I've never regretted it (Except for the door rust...).

I was given a 95 Mystique by my grandparents in 2000. From that point on I began looking at the Contour SVT. 2 years later I found the perfect SVT on eBay with only 14K miles. Bought it and had it shipped from California. It was perfect! Except for some bad dash warp, it is still in great shape.

I bought mine in July of 2002 right after i graduated. I was driving a 1981 Ford Fairmont and wanted to part with that thing desperately. I was looking at the Contour/Mystique and Stratus/Cirrus for their looks, gas mileage, options, and safety. I found a couple that i liked, but the prices were too high. Then i found my car. I would have preferred a Sport V6, but I was just happy to have a newer car, and a contour at that. I test drove it and fell in love with it....it was such a smooth ride! We got back to the dealership, my grandparents co-signed for the bank loan and it was all mine a couple days later! It wasn't until i joined here a year later that i found out what a Contour SVT was and wished i had sought out one of those instead of my SE Zetec ATX. I bought this car for 8500 in brand new condition with 24,000 miles on it. I've had it over three years and it now has 70,000 miles on it and i've loved every minute of it! CEG has been a great resource and i've made many great friends on here. I get made fun of by lots of people cause i drive a "grandpa" car, and cause i have duals on a 4cyl...but my reply to them is: Who do you know that drives a modded contour?? Yeah, exactly. My car is unique and i love it!

Well i was in the market for a newer car, at the time i had a modded 94 Toyota Camry. I wanted my next vehicle to have the following options, leather, sunroof, v6, manual transmission and four doors. It came down to a hand full of cars, it was basically between a maxima and a contour. I found a dealership with both a contour and a max. Went and test drove both, but the max drove like sh@t. I loved the way the tour handled and it had decent accerlation and all the features i wanted except leather and a sunroof. I picked up my 97 SE MTX in 2002. Drove it daily for two years and fell in love with contours and knew i would have to have an SVT someday. Looked around after two years and found one local, went out and test drove it and took it home.

The End.

I think I decided on one before ever driving one.
But the things that sold me were:

-exhaust sound (our VP of engineering had one and opened it up every day as he left the parking lot)
-what you get for the $$$
-good looking, fun to drive car with 4 doors that I could drive all year
-it seemed a good replacement for the 93 probe GT that gave me years of fun driving (I miss the mazda 2.5, they didn't come much smoother)

My brother and I had both seen Mondeos over in Europe and had thought it was too bad they didn't have them stateside. When my brother was looking for a car a few years later, he and I looked at Hondas and Subarus, but didn't see anything that really impressed us. We then wandered onto the Ford lot and ran across a small number of Contours/Mystiques parked at the rear of their lot. We immediately recognized them as the U.S. Mondeo and were greatly surprised when we looked through the window and saw that some of them had MANUAL transmissions (which was one of our requirements). We test drove a Zetec MTX -- it seemed to pull really good, especially compared to some other cars we had test driven. When then hopped into a Duratec MTX. My brother (and the uninformed sales rep) thought that you had to press the Traction Control button to activate it... Anyhow, when exiting the dealership, the Duratec Mystique happily "burned rubber" and took off flying! Both my brother and I were hooked after that. He purchased that Mystique and I later purchased TWO Duratec MTX Contours. I also helped my father-in-law purchase a 96 Zetec ATX and a friend purchase a 99 Zetec ATX -- they're both satisfied Contour owners.

Contiques offer a great blend of performance, handling, economy, hauling (5 seats/big trunk) and good looks. As they're a domestic brand, replacement parts are comparatively inexpensive. I do almost all of my own maintenance, so they've been very cost-effective vehicles over the long-haul. My wife loves hers too -- she says she'll miss it if we're forced (by family size) to get an SUV.

My aunt and uncle,who I got my Mystique from are still a little sour that I sold the car 10 months into owning it,and they absolutely hate my Contour because it's green and doesn't have the chrome Mercury grille. My dad hated the car when I got it,he said it was an ugly POS and that it'll last me 6 months before I sell it.

Well,with the paintjob,wheels and everything I've done to it,my dad can't take his eyes off it and keeps telling me how good the paint scheme is. He was impressed enough after I took him out for a drive that he decided to sell his Buick Park Avenue (3.8 V6 w/ Supercharger) and he bought a beautiful,immaculate pearl white 2001 Lincoln LS V8. I think that's about the only car I'd trade my Contour for.

i was searching for a CSVT... and i found a CSVT for a incredibly low price

My neighbor's a well-off Ford Stamping Plant employee who gets a nice discount. I always knew he had the car but never bothered to know what it was until I hit the age of car loving. The ever entrusting guy left the keys to me one day and, well, you can fill in the rest I didn't start modding until I became a member of this site.

He currently owns a Torch Red Cobra Mustang ('03? ) and I believe same year/newer dark green Lariat F150. :drools:

Regardless, I always hear something mean leaving his driveway.

I was looking for a used car. I was in a hurry because I had no transportation aside from a friend's truck, which he uses all the time so I didn't want to keep it too long and take advantage of his generosity.

I wasn't having much luck at all. Everything I found was beat to hell, disgustingly overpriced, or something I absolutely did not want (old base-model LeSabres, etc.).

I almost bought a '92 Bonneville because it was in nice shape, and the 3800 V6 drivetrain is easy to work on and lasts forever. I didn't really want one of those things, but relative to the rest of the used car offerings in the area, it was like a BMW 750i. I pulled into the dealership the next morning, cash in hand, only to find that it had sold an hour before. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

I pulled into a dealer that didn't have anything I really wanted, but I was desperate at this point. It was then I noticed that one of the two Contours on the lot had ground effects and a "24V" badge on the back. I took a closer look and noticed that it had the power goodies and a manual tranny. I thought that the V6+manual might make it sort of bearable. I knew about the background of the Contour and that it had a European pedigree, but my only experience with them before was a '96 Zetec ATX Mystique, which I hated.

Then I took it on a test drive, and I was immediately very impressed with the smooth V6 and the sound it made, and especially the steering feel. It was hard to keep a poker face and act disinterested around the salesman because I had just found the only good used car in the entire freaking city. But I managed, knocked it down to $3500, and bought it that day.

I came here after owning a couple of Mondy's back in the UK. Up until then I never thought much about it ... the Mondy is Average-man's car there.

I test drove just about everything I could lay my hands on here, and DETESTED the handling of most ... plus the fact everything was an Auto. One day I saw a Mystique in the paper with V6 ... but what really caught my eye ... MANUAL!!! My eyes lit up, I researched on the web and read the word Mondeo ... I grinned. We went and test drove it, the water pump blew while we were in it. I found this web-site, got the pump fixed, then went back and bought it.

The poor black Mystique is up with the angels now though, but my wife has one, I now have my CSVT ... and I point out great little V6 Tours from the for sale ads to anyone who will listen.

Back in 2001/2002 there really wasn't much that handled near as good as the Contour (that I drove anyway), so there was no consideration of buying anything otherwise then.