I have decided I want a Contour. But i dont know which year to buy. My last car was a 97 neon and it was totaled. I decided since i was a member of neons.org to come here before i decide on my car. Based on the fact that people who own the car can give me better oppinions than my mindles friends. FRom what I have seen the 98-2000 is the bodystyle i want. But i dont which of them is best and what price is acceptable to pay. I want the fully loaded version but if i cant find it i'll just get a base model as long as i get the v6. I can always modify it out. Please let me know what to get.
At this point in time, I say get a 1999-2000.
99-00's have 5 more hp. 00's have a slightly higher compression ratio and take to mods better. They also have the beefiest transmission.
Originally posted by Jason43:
99-00's have 5 more hp. 00's have a slightly higher compression ratio and take to mods better. They also have the beefiest transmission.
Only when talking about the SVTs. He didn't specify he was looking for an SVT (unless you took "Fully Loaded" to mean SVT).
Are you looking for a manual or automatic?
Well, the SVT is about as loaded as you could get
Get a manual transmission. Generally the reliability of a manual vs an auto tranny is 10:1. My 96 mystique has over 268 000 km (167 000 miles) and has never had any sort of powertrain problem. Actually I can't think of one benefit to an auto transmission besides the lazzyness factor.
Originally posted by KyleH:
Get a manual transmission. Generally the reliability of a manual vs an auto tranny is 10:1. My 96 mystique has over 268 000 km (167 000 miles) and has never had any sort of powertrain problem. Actually I can't think of one benefit to an auto transmission besides the lazzyness factor.
No wheel hop.
Yes, he buys a 99-00 he can expect a unfixable dash warp problem. Dont buy 95-97 unless if has under 100k, or has over 100k but has had the wiring harness recall done. Secondly V6 have tons of problems way more than I4, go look at the "common problem and complaints" page, most of them say "V6 equipped vehicles only", let see off the top of my head, moosing, TH, you get water pump squeal, if you hit a puddle expect the car to stall, expect the IMRCs to fail several times, it has also more problems. Just MY opinion but the V6 is junk, it is problem ridden. The 4 cylinder is a much better engine, and as you can see from that page no problem relates directly to 4 cylinder engines only. I would also buy one that has rear disc brakes, drum brake e-brake cables are a piece of [censored], my e-brake cant be used currently because of how [censored] it is. It has been like that for quite sometime but I could care less about it.
I would buy a 97 Sport if I could do it over again, but I have a 96 GL and am pretty happy with it. My only complaint currently is how the seats squeak when hitting bumps. My car hanst given me to many problems, most of them are things are usually just fail over time, my radiator failed at 50,000 and cost $510 to get repalced, that kind of ticked me off, because I know people who have over 150k and have the original radiator.
1996/7 SE MTX with 3.0L = my dream Contour.
I love my svt, but IT IS A MONEY PIT! But gawd, I love it!
Despite Hitman's rant on the V6, I think its an absolute great car. Based on what I've seen in the forums, the 97 is the only year to really avoid.
If you don't mind getting your hands a little dirty, most of the problems are EASILY taken care of yourself for little money. The drivetrain on the V6 Manuals is great! There are very few problems ever reported with the Powertrain.
The E-Brake can be fixed in about 2 hours for the price of parts ($45).
The Waterpump is a known problem, but again, can be fixed on your own ahead of time. The design was changed in 99/00, and there are very minimal reports of problems with the new WP design.
The IMRC is a known problem, but if you heed the advice of others and remove the WP Cover, chances are good you won't have a problem. If you do, this is another DIY job.
I have no idea what he means about stalling in puddles. Never heard of that as a major problem. If so, clear sign of Wires and Plugs. They probably needed to be replaced anyway.
I had my 95 V6 MTX for virtually 100K miles of problem free driving. And I beat on that little car too! However, I also took care of it. Only thing was the Water Pump, and I knew those were a problem. My E-brake failed too, but it was an easy fix, and my suspension needed replacing. Hell, it had 125K on it, it was due!
I still have my 95, and believe it still has about 1-2 years of life left before the maintenance bills do not warrant the cost of ownership.
If you're looking for a great handling car, I highly recommend a 95-96 SE. Great car for the money.
I'm not sure what kind of budget you're working with, if you're a car enthusiast (do you enjoy driving, and pushing it a little) and whether you mind taking on small DIY projects, but these cars are great when well maintained.
Originally posted by TourDeForce:
Originally posted by KyleH:
Get a manual transmission. Generally the reliability of a manual vs an auto tranny is 10:1. My 96 mystique has over 268 000 km (167 000 miles) and has never had any sort of powertrain problem. Actually I can't think of one benefit to an auto transmission besides the lazzyness factor.
No wheel hop.
Not necessarily. At least in my case, I remember feeling the significant force of torque steer and wheelhop after several stoplight-to-stoplight Grand Prix's in the rain. Man I thought it was cool...then I learned the damage it was doing. 
That was back when I drove stupidly though. 
Originally posted by zgendron:
Despite Hitman's rant on the V6, I think its an absolute great car. Based on what I've seen in the forums, the 97 is the only year to really avoid.
Why, exactly? I haven't gotten that impression. And I'm hoping to hear back soon about a '97SE MTX that's for sale.
"I have no idea what he means about stalling in puddles. Never heard of that as a major problem. If so, clear sign of Wires and Plugs. They probably needed to be replaced anyway. "
I was talking about this I didnt to mean to say they were really bad piece of junk engines, I was just saying they have more problems than I4s. He was asking what year to get, I was just giving him my opinion, and that is to avoid a car with a V6.
Originally posted by Jeb Hoge:
Originally posted by zgendron:
Despite Hitman's rant on the V6, I think its an absolute great car. Based on what I've seen in the forums, the 97 is the only year to really avoid.
Why, exactly? I haven't gotten that impression. And I'm hoping to hear back soon about a '97SE MTX that's for sale.
Does the car have under 100,000 is my first question. If it has above 100,000 has it had the wiring harness recall done? If not do NOT buy it, you will spend thousands possibly if the wiring harness fails above 100,000, because then it is not covered.
I have a 98.5 SE Sport V6 5-spd and i love my car. i have had none of the problems that the above post says "they all have". However, i have run into other contour owners who say they have problem upon problem, so dont be afraid of the V6. That's the biggest reason I love my car, but be careful and make sure you get it checked out by a mechanic before buying. Infact, back in 95 my mom bought a fully loaded Zetes (4cyl) and had quite a few problems within that first year... so much so that we traded it in at the end of the year (it was not a lease). Good luck.
Unless you like a buzzy underpowered engine and want somewhat better gas mileage, get the v6. They are not as entirely "problem ridden" as HITMAN makes them out to be. There are plenty of v6 contours out there running strong at well past 150k miles.
Also the v6 has TONS more performance potential and support than the zetec does...
From a fun to drive/ performance standpoint, get an SVT, or an SE with the v6-manual.
Originally posted by HITMANinMI:
Originally posted by Jeb Hoge:
Originally posted by zgendron:
Despite Hitman's rant on the V6, I think its an absolute great car. Based on what I've seen in the forums, the 97 is the only year to really avoid.
Why, exactly? I haven't gotten that impression. And I'm hoping to hear back soon about a '97SE MTX that's for sale.
Does the car have under 100,000 is my first question. If it has above 100,000 has it had the wiring harness recall done? If not do NOT buy it, you will spend thousands possibly if the wiring harness fails above 100,000, because then it is not covered.
Oh, I know about the wiring harness issue. I've got a '95 with 98K on it and I got sneered at by a service writer when I asked about getting it done...he asked me what the problem was and when I said "it could fail" he told me that I could pay for it and if they found defective wires, they'd comp it. I don't think so. Anyway, it sounded like you had '97-specific things in mind.
i have a 99 svt with 86000 miles. i bought it 26 months ago with 55000 miles on the clock. i have had no problems that weren't the direct result age and and fully expected under normal maintanence. if you take care of the vehicle and only purchase a vehicle that was taken care of and not mistreated then you should have no problems with your purchase. personally, although admittedly with prejudice, i recommend the svt. you can find one without braking the bank and you get exclusivity as well.
I'm still trying to decide. Mostly I want a car that has decent performance. I want to get something that I can hookup because I enjoy working on cars. I really like car audio also. I have seen some good show cars made out of Contours.
Yeah I completely agree that the SVT is the way to go, looks the best inside and out and can move. The engine is actually very sound, if you do the upkeep your set.
Originally posted by y2kContour:
I'm still trying to decide. Mostly I want a car that has decent performance. I want to get something that I can hookup because I enjoy working on cars. I really like car audio also. I have seen some good show cars made out of Contours.
If you're looking at the showcar side of things, you might want to keep it down to just the SE Sport with a V6/MTX pair instead of an SVT. You'll save a few thousand in the process to put towards your car audio and show stuff.
If you're just looking around for balls out performance, then the SVT is definitely the way to go.
The Duratech V6 is NOT junk! Only some with bad water pumps and those was fixed for 1999.
The Duratech continues to be made today and is on Jaguars, Ford Trucks, and Mazdas too. In fact it is going to be around longer with a 3.5L version coming.
The Zetec, that some think is made of gold, was just discontinued this year, with the last going into the 2004 Focus. Now the new Mazda designed Duratec 4 cylinders are in Focuses, Escapes, & Mazdas. And no it is not a Duratech V6 with 2 cylinders sawed off.
If you don't like that the Zetec is dropped, well welcome to the car biz.
Originally posted by Jeb Hoge:
Originally posted by zgendron:
Despite Hitman's rant on the V6, I think its an absolute great car. Based on what I've seen in the forums, the 97 is the only year to really avoid.
Why, exactly? I haven't gotten that impression. And I'm hoping to hear back soon about a '97SE MTX that's for sale.
Doesn't seem to be as big of an issue now, but a couple years ago it seemed that the build quality of the 97's wasn't that great. Possibly because it was the last year of that body style? 
Honestly, its probably not any more or less reliable than the other Pre 98 V6s. I had just developed that opinion while reading the boards back then. I don't have any personal experience with it.
Also, the SE is a SWEET RIDE! If the SVT isn't in the budget, I'd absolutely spring for that car. I upgraded my 95 LX with the SE Suspension, and it handled like a dream. If the price is right, do it!
Originally posted by TourDeForce:
Originally posted by KyleH:
Get a manual transmission. Generally the reliability of a manual vs an auto tranny is 10:1. My 96 mystique has over 268 000 km (167 000 miles) and has never had any sort of powertrain problem. Actually I can't think of one benefit to an auto transmission besides the lazzyness factor.
No wheel hop.
not true, had the problem all the time in my 95 that was an auto
Originally posted by auiotour:
Originally posted by TourDeForce:
Originally posted by KyleH:
Get a manual transmission. Generally the reliability of a manual vs an auto tranny is 10:1. My 96 mystique has over 268 000 km (167 000 miles) and has never had any sort of powertrain problem. Actually I can't think of one benefit to an auto transmission besides the lazzyness factor.
No wheel hop.
not true, had the problem all the time in my 95 that was an auto
Hmmm... New information to process, thanks.
