Question for all Contour/Mystique owners

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

I'm pretty sure I'm going to wind up buying a Contour or a Mystique, but I'm not sure which year(s) I should really look into, and or even if I should just go ahead and look for a Contour SVT. I was thinking of just getting a loaded Contour or Mystique (manual trans) and taking it from there. I have some 18" rims that I kept when I sold my Cougar that will look lovely on a Mystique/Contour. Anyways, with average mileage, what do these cars usually sell for?

Thanks

My SVT is for sale for around $8k... check the classifieds

IIRC, stock contours/mystiques run anywhere from 2-6k, depending on condition/features.

Check out E-Bay. I just saw a "family owned" for $1500. I don't think they know what they have. Not on my side of the country or I would go for it.

Originally posted by Ford Love:
Check out E-Bay. I just saw a "family owned" for $1500. I don't think they know what they have. Not on my side of the country or I would go for it.

possible link?
this one has a blown headgasket

If I were looking for a non-SVT contour, I would probably go with a 97. I believe they still had most of little options that Ford did away with in the later models to save money(ie dash clock). You also would stay away from the problems associated with the later models such as dash warp and bad fuel pumps.

I tried this, just click and type in ur prefrences.

Kelly Blue Book.

If you buy a 95-97 I wouldnt buy it unless it has under 100,000, or has above 100,000 but has had the wiring harness recall done.
Lots of tours end up at the boneyard because the wiring harness fails above 100k, and it cost hundreds even thousands to replace it, more than the value of the car sometimes.

Just for the uniformity of parts - the early '95 has a few differences that don't appear on the rest of the years. For example -1)Speedo is cable driven , 2)OBO I -relates to engine managment, the rest OBO II. I love my early '95, nothing wrong with it, I just can't get speedo cables at the wreaking yard.
When my wife lets me drive her '97 , nice car.....

The harness is a piece of cake to replace on a Zetec. Know where I can get one that has a damaged harness cheap?

Duratec one looks like a real pain in the butt, but still do-able.

Originally posted by brianl703:
The harness is a piece of cake to replace on a Zetec. Know where I can get one that has a damaged harness cheap?

Duratec one looks like a real pain in the butt, but still do-able.

how much are we talking about spending if diy

For a '95 Contour V6, the harness kit was $600 (it includes 4 harnesses)

The Zetec one should be cheaper, because it only includes 2 or 3 harnesses, and they are not as complex.

'96 and newer cars should be cheaper, because they use the newer style connectors found on current Ford vehicles, unlike the '95 which uses older style connectors that are likely more expensive due to being made in smaller quantities.

I base that on the fact that the injector harness, by itself, for a '95 V6 is about $400 while the injector harness for the '96 V6 is only about $200.

Yes, this means that the harness kit is a MUCH better deal than buying all the harnesses separately.

start to look on autotrader.com or in your local listings, then go to www.kbb.com and go through and bluebook the car you are looking at buying. My 1996 Contour GL with no options, except cassette, and power mirrors (pretty sure standard) costs 1750$ with a 5 speed manaual and 100K miles. But I had to dump abotu 1000$ worth of work into it, because it was on the verge of the 100K mile dye out thing. where everything that needs to be replaced at 100K miles, needed to be replaced. EG timing belt, Spark Plugs, Coil, wires, one of my Bearings is going bad (getting replaced wednesday), my fuel injector needs to be cleaned pretty soon as well (so says the mechanic).

I see most Contiques at the boneyard because: Accident, and a few Electrical

Zetecs seem pulled quickly at the boneyard... everyone wants them powerful engines

You should be able to pick up a nice SE for half of what an SVT costs and your insurance will be less

If I knew then what I know now, I would've gotten an SE/MTX/V6, no doubt about it because once you've done the suspesion and a couple mods, your pretty damn close to the perf of an SVT anyways