1997 Contour, last straw

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

OK, the Contour finally had its' last problem, transmission blew up on me today (at 39xxx miles!). So, I need to get a new car.

I have 2 schools of thought. Get a 2003/2004 vechile and pay $400 a month, or get a solid used car.

I can easily do research on new cars, but used I am not so sure about. So I've come to ask for any help/suggestions. If I buy and older used (1997-2000/1) I want to spend about 10-12k TOPS. Newer car 2003+ I am prepared to spend a max of 20.

So, the question for you guys is, what would you suggest for an OLDER used car, and if you feel like delving into it, a newer used car.

I am looking for something somewhat fun, but still reliable. (yea, like everyone isn't looking for that!! hah). Some things to know.

- I want a manual!!!
- Sunroof would rock.
- I live in Minnesota, so snow is a consideration.

I was looking at 1998/9 Mitsubishi Eclipse's, and they look fun for sure... But I do not know much about them.

I plan to buy by Monday (5/17) so quick responses are most welcome!!!

Man you must have been really abusive to your car to have your tranny go at 39k. Many people here have trannys well over 100k, I think Rogers is like 135k or something. Why dont you fix your car, re-learn how to drive, then see how long your tranny last. By the way ever do any fluid changes to it?

Get like a 95 or a 96 Carolla with a 5 speed. those things move man. OR maybe try a VW jetta/golf those are pretty sweet, you could pick up a 95 or 96 for arround 4K with low miles.

Get an Electric VW Rabbit

Maxima's are good cars.
Passat's are good (do a little reasearch on their problems first)

Not to bust your bubble, but you can get a program Taurus fully loaded for way low. I had one for a month while they fixed my Tour (wiring recall) and I loved it! But considering your Ford Contour experience I can understand why you're shy on Fords.

A good idea, go to your local libray and look at the consumer reports car buying guide. They have the listing for reliability and I believe tests on most cars. They give a good honest review of pluses and minuses.

In short, research!

Good luck!

Originally posted by Nate'sTour:
In short, research!

And see if you can't wait longer than 3 days! Rush in to this and you are REALLY liable to end up hating yourself and your new purchase for it..

Ray

"Man you must have been really abusive to your car to have your tranny go at 39k. Many people here have trannys well over 100k, I think Rogers is like 135k or something. Why dont you fix your car, re-learn how to drive, then see how long your tranny last. By the way ever do any fluid changes to it?"
___________________________________________________________

Kinda harsh

There is such a thing as mechanical failure without abuse.
The problem may have nothing to do with his driving at all.

Originally posted by HITMANinMI:
Man you must have been really abusive to your car to have your tranny go at 39k. Many people here have trannys well over 100k, I think Rogers is like 135k or something. Why dont you fix your car, re-learn how to drive, then see how long your tranny last. By the way ever do any fluid changes to it?

I wish I could say I WAS abusive, then I wouldn't be so irritated. I've had the car since 1999 when it had 5k miles on it, it was a non-titled show room model with slight hail damage, so I got it cheap. I drive very little, mostly to the park-and-ride to take the bus downtown for work every day. I sometimes drive agressively, but I don't beat the hell out my cars, ever. I got that out of my system when I was 18-23, I'm 27 now, and I drive like a responsible adult, with the occasional fun runs that everyone makes once in a while.

I changed the fluids on regulaer intervals, have all the service records etc. The car was in a pretty bad accident, and Progressive made me fix it instead of totalling it out. I'm not saying the accident caused the tranny to go bad, but I never had a problem until the accident. Then it was alignment problems, creaky noises in the suspension, etc etc. It just never drove the same. (To give you an idea, try hitting a freeway median going nearly 60MPH after someone goes postal on you on the highway.. not so fun).

Anyway, thanks for the ideas guys. I am looking at a 1998 Eclipse GSX with 15k miles on it today, and after that, I just couldn't find anything with low enough miles, so I will be seriously looking at 2002/2003 Accords, Mazda 6s's, and Altimas. I'll take a look at a few Toyota's, but I don't so much like the looks of them.

A list of cars I will test driving today.

Mazda 6s, 2003
Honda Accord EX V6, 2002/2003
Nissan Altima V6, 2002/2003

Any others I should consider? All the cars I listed I can get from 18k-21k (tops). I hate to be sucked into a large car loan again, but what the heck! At least I'll have a warranty with these cars listed above.

Thanks for reading guys.

That's smart, trade your car because you think its unreliable for the "reliable" DSM.

<ignores above comment>

I saw the GSX today, nice car, clean but I have reservations about reliability.

I also drove the following cars:

Mazda 6 w/ 5 speed
Mazda 3 w/ 5 speed
Nissan Altima SE V6 slushbox
VW Jetta 1.8-T w/ 5 speed
Hyundai Tiburon V6 w/ 6 speed

All brand new. Still confused about what to get. All had good and bad points, some were too expensive once I got the options I liked, etc.

Anyway, much research will be done tonight and tomorrow. Whee... <wags exhausted finger in air>

Mazda6, Mazda4, or Altima. I say.

I had a 97 Contour, was nice until 70K and had a few things go bad. But my '00 (double naught) has been great.

The Mazda's and the Nissan will probably be best choices for dependability. The Jetta will likely be more troublesome than the Japanese cars, but it will have that German driving experience, and will most likely be the most fun to drive and have the most supportive seats.

Hyundai is improving in quality, and a few years ago, I would have recommended you avoid them, but the newest models seem to be on par with the best Japanese cars for quality. The Tiburan is a distinctly different car from the others you've suggested, its a two door sporty coupe, while the others are four door sedans. Resale value on the Hyundai will probably be worse than the other cars.

Well, we need a lot more information about your driving habits to give a meaningful reply. Do you have a family? Four doors required? Do you value performance over reliability or utliity? Will the car be modded?

The Mazda 3 is quite a nice car for around 20K, but without more info, I'm afraid we're all just shooting in the dark.

Lee K

Just some advice. In terms of research for used cars, definately go to the Library and get the Consumer Reports Annual Used Car magazine. It has a good overview for comparison parts.

As mentioned above, we would need to know your driving habits, price range, and also if you're willing to do any work on your car. I've found that this car can have some things go wrong with it, but parts aren't that bad (except for some things), and with this site you're able to do almost anything. That alone has saved me a ton of money.

I'm interested to know your opinion of the cars you've testdriven.

Also, I know a bunch of people with absolute horror stories with the VWs. Its been enough to scare me away from them for a while. Plus their repair costs are through the roof!

My Talon is up to 180,000 miles on it with no problems at all. Just don't hammer on the thing day in and day out, upgrade to huge amounts of horsepower, change oil and you will be fine. I live in Northern Mn and I only have the FWD, and it handles GREAT! Aftermarket parts are very easy to come by also. That is just my two cents on the situation...I would go for it.

You can get a used Subie WRX for under $20k. Stick, quick, and all-wheel drive for those winters. Sounds like a winner to me.

Holy old topic!

From 5/14/2004: "I plan to buy by Monday (5/17) so quick responses are most welcome!!!

1/5/05

Originally posted by Kokopellian:
You can get a used Subie WRX for under $20k. Stick, quick, and all-wheel drive for those winters. Sounds like a winner to me.

I wasn't sure why he didn't try fixing the tour. If he got it for cheap because of hail damage and doesn't want a car payment and there was only 40k on the clock seems like fixing the tranny would have been warranted. I guess we'll never know!