Whats All This Fuss Over The Ford Contour? First of all don't anyone take this wrong because I don't mean it that way, but why is there a website devoted to the Ford Contour? And after reading through most of the posts why do all of you love this car so much? Again, I'm not trying to be a smart---, I really want to know. What is it?
I have a 98 Contour, V6, burgundy with all the fancy stuff on it. I have had many, many problems. I bought this car because the Ford dealership is the first one I went to. From day one I disliked the body style and as far as driving it nothing spectacular there either. Even with the problems aside I truly don't see the fascination.
Again, I am in no way dissing this website or the car! In fact I love the site, I just read about every post and what tremendous help everyone is. I definately want to be a part of this! Everyone is great and really nice and very helpful. But please explain, whats all the fuss? To me its just a plain ol' car and not even a great looking one at that. Tell me what you see that I don't.
first of all your not in the right forum. Second of all this car can handle really good compare to most cars on the road. You are like most ignorant fools that are around driving Hondas. They think the tour is ugly and that we have granny cars. But its not until you really drive the crap out of the car until you actually start loving the car.
I found this website by accident one day after having my car for about a year and have since slowly become hooked.
As I started following what was going on and learning more, I became hooked. I know a lot more about my car now. Sure, my car is not the best in the world. But it is mine! It is a pretty fun hobby to mess around with it.
I came mainly for the info but all of the great people has kept me coming back! Now I come on here 50% for the info and %50 just to shoot the [censored] with my fellow Contique owners.
Well, compare this car to all the other American and Japanese junk on the road, how it counds, handles rides etc...then compare how it looks. One look will tell you that it's not American. Smooth, graceful lines; sharp, clean creases; nose on the ground, but in the air stance. Stylish, yet not overdone. Elegant, yet sporty, and sometimes even sinister. If you don't see what it's all about, then you either have no style, or you just don't get the concept of a good "horseless carriage"
As single father the car serves two purposes. 1) it has the room I need for my 2 boys. 2) It has enough power to keep me excited about driving it.My sons (3 and 6) love the car almost as much as me. Even though I have spent almost as much as I paid for the car for repairs and modifications I'm still happy. Its Ford's service and prices for repair parts($200+ for altnator) that bother me.
I'll assume you are not a troll and answer honestly.
Back in 95 and 96 (and now even) how many 4 door cars could be had with a powerful (for the time) V6 and a manual transmission for under 20k? And even without that - the early SE's and the later SVT's were/are some of the best handling FWD cars on the road. Read some of the reviews off the links page and you'll see the SVT comapared favorbaly too (and beat) A4's, 3 series, the G20, Jetta....
Now there are a lot of base level 4 cylinder, softly sprung ATX tours out there that may not really fit the sports sedan description - but a lot of us actually really like the way the 'tour looks.
Now did you actually have a problem with your 'tour that would warrant this post being in the troubleshooting forum?
Even with 70,000 miles on mine I still find myself taking the long twisty route to the grocery store just because the car is so much fun to drive. Reliabilty (for my car at least) has been admittedly very poor - but the plusses far outweigh the minuses. I call it the worst car I ever loved
.
Help me understand o.k., You disliked the body style and the way it drove; Why the fu%# did you buy it? Don't come on here and ask why this site exists, instead take a look around and you'll see it's pretty damn obvious why. Because of this site, myself, and I'm sure many others have enjoyed their car more so than if this site didn't exist. Damn there's so much I'd like to say, but I won't bother because with the statements you've made, I hardly doubt your worth anymore of my time.
1.affordable (rather have 96 contour than 93 honda)
2.reliable (atleast mine is)
3.looks good
4.the aftermarket that does exist isn't too overpriced
5.both the duratec and zetec have good potential
6.ford obviously saw the contour as a good car or they wouldn't have made a svt contour
7.handling
8.this site is very helpful in fixing contours, obtaining parts, getting bigger aftermarket, meeting other contour enthusiast, and argueing
Hopefully I'm not feeding a troll... I love this car because I can put my wife, twins, and a weeks worth of luggage in this car, drive to Michigan in the Dec. snow, and be very comfortable while averaging 25-30 mpg. Then I can take everything out and have a blast driving it through the curves, and can run with Bmw's, audi's etc., all day long. The car is very exciting to modify, because there are so many different things you can do to it, and it is very reliable. I know it has problems, but every car does. Keep in mind this is a car that was only in production for 5 years. The reason you only hear complaints is because people don't write letters and call people if they don't have problems. I have 160,000 miles on mine, and the only thing I ever replaced was a water pump that wasn't broken. (although I have a problem now but the troublshooting forum isn't working for me) Also as for the looks, beauty is all about perception. I think some of the contours look very aggresive and agile, and some just look kinda clumbsy. I don't know what the differences are, but they all have personalities. Just try looking at the cars in a different perspective, and you may be surprised how your thinking will change.
Originally posted by 98contour:
...... I bought this car because the Ford dealership is the first one I went to......
Why ?? Were you
really in that much of a rush to get a car. Good job there's no Lada dealers near you ...
Originally posted by 98contour:
...... From day one I disliked the body style and as far as driving it nothing spectacular there either ......
The Contour is the best handling car I've ever driven and it looks better than 90% of the cars out there. Why did you buy it if you didn't like it ??
Me smells a troll .....
So shoot me I'm in the wrong forum. If you paid attention you would have noticed I don't drive a Honda I drive a Contour. As for the ignorant fool part you're not worth responding to if the best you can do is call me names as opposed to answering my questions.
Why would you buy a car that you disliked the way it looked and did nothing for you?
Why would you buy
that car from the first dealership you went to?
Why are you posting in the Troubleshooting section?
Go to the
bottom of this page and check out all the links. Read the reviews amd you'll know what all the "fuss" is about.
Educate yourself.
Thank you for the observations, I will ignore the part about the style. All I am looking for in my post is a better understanding from different points of view.
First of all I don't know what a troll is.
Secondly thank you for your insights. That is what I am looking for.
As far as a problem yes I did have a problem and I posted it in the troubleshooting forum earlier this week. That is what made me start reading all the posts which led me to really start thinking about my car and noticing that others really love theirs. Unfortunately I am not as adept as others with this site and I posted my question in the wrong forum. I am so sorry if I committed some grievious error, I was just looking for some viewpoints. Thats all.
Again, I don't know what a troll is.
Thank you for the insights, and for helping me to understand and for not insulting me.
Yes I was in a rush to get a car, mine was no longer working.
I bought it because I could afford it. It was OK but I don't love it. Thats why I put this post up so you people could tell me what I might be missing or offer insights.
Again I don't know what a troll is.
Because I could afford it. It was a mid-size car I could afford and I liked it but I didn't love it.
Geez I am so sorry I posted in the wrong forum. So sue me.
Enough said.
For about the tenth time I wanted a mid size car and this was the only one I could afford. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. It was OK. So I posted my question (and yes in the wrong forum I know) to get insights from others to see how they percieve their cars. Is that so wrong?
Why so much hostility over a little post on a site? I just asked a question. Chill dude. Its only a car.
First of all thanks to those who replied without insulting me. I was just looking for others thoughts on their car and why they loved it so much. I thought if I had others opinions maybe I would learn to love my car as well. I would see things I had never seen before and learn to appreciate it more. Thats all.
Secondly I don't know what a troll is. Also I'm sorry for posting in the wrong forum. I did have a troubleshooting question earlier in the week. This is the first time I have ever visited a site such as this so I am not as adept as others. I just had a question after looking over the sight and wanted to ask it. Nothing more.
Lastly I don't need the hostility. I just asked a question and was looking for some thoughts. If you don't like the question that I asked or that I posted in the wrong forum, fine, you don't need to call me names or get all worked up. It just seemed like this was a nice group of people and that I could openly ask questions. Maybe I am wrong??!!
Welcome to the site!
I'd usually be one of the first to sling an arrow in your direction, but since you seem to posess a sincere nature, I'll respond in like...
I challenge you to find a 4-door sedan built from 1995-2000 that has the HP/Liter, HP/weight ratio, fuel economy, 4-doors, handling abilities and looks that the Contour and Contour SVT does...
...all for under $23K.
It has a Porsche-developed engine, track-tuned suspension out of the box and a stick to boot. Reliability can be spotty (but preventative measures can help ensure a longer life of the major components concerned) and Ford's dealership service in most cases sucks beyond what even those damned to Hell should suffer through, but otherwise from a few quirks, it's still one of the best overall bargain 4-door fun rides you can get. It's just a damn shame that not ONE single automobile manufacturer has picked up the torch that was extinguished when Ford killed the CDW-27 platform, pricewise.
With around $7-10K in modifications (S/C or T/C, beefed-up transmission, suspension work, exhaust modifications, some minor engine work included, beefier brakes, etc.), you've now got a car that is back to hanging with cars that cost 2X as much.
There are faster cars out there. There are better handling cars out there. There are cheaper cars out there. However, there are NEXT TO NONE that have 4-doors and a combination of the above to the degree that the Contour does.
That's why this site is here and it's members rather fanatical about this little economical slice of 4-wheeled Heaven (and Hell sometimes, as you can probably tell from browsing the Troubleshooting forums).
Before I forget, a "troll" is someone that hits Internet boards for the sole purpose of stirring up trouble.
You seem to be the opposite...
In any case, browse the site, learn a few things about your car that you didn't know and maybe the Contour bug will bite. There's a lot of knowledge contained within these forums.
Enjoy!
A troll is someone who comes in to try to stir people up. Nobody yet has actually called you a troll.. I think the reason you may not love this car, is because you haven't really explored it's full potential, also depending on what options you have, yours may not really be that great. Watch for people on this site to meet somewhere, if you go, I'm sure someone would be very happy to give you a ride in there svt or something. Then you will understand. If you do own a contour with some good options like the stiffer springs, and maybe the v6 (the zetech can be very exiting too btw) run it through some curves, or really jump on the gas when you're getting on the highway. The Contours can be a very normal sedan, or it can be a riot, the rest is in your hands.
another thing i like: for a 4cyl, the zetec is very respectable, it can hang from with many cars that out power it (from a rolling start, aka highway driving), i've suprised many people with my 4 door ford. it's hard to get another vehicle that has everything the contour has to offer all in one package, especially one low cost package.
Originally posted by lsneo:
first of all your not in the right forum. Second of all this car can handle really good compare to most cars on the road. You are like most ignorant fools that are around driving Hondas. They think the tour is ugly and that we have granny cars. But its not until you really drive the crap out of the car until you actually start loving the car.
i couldnt agree more. i got the contour because it was the cheapest car at the stealership, the only one i could afford. when i got it i was like "eh, i guess its nice" but after having it for a few days it really grew on me. and does more so every day. its a great car to drive, its decently fast, and handles great (especially compared to my last car, a 91 buick skylark, my friends 00 blazer owned me on a twisty road lol) and i really like teh way it looks too.
Why do I love my car? Best bang for the buck. Hands down.
Contours have an almost cult-like following. Why do bad movies become cult classics? A bunch of people like all the little quarks. So, that's the contour, not to mention how fun it is to drive and its very practical, too.
I thought a troll was someone who posted on the site but doesnt own a Tour???? I could be wrong, I usualyy am.
In answer to your question, it's just the mod bug man. You come onto this site, you look at the things that people have done to thier cars, you tell yourself "That doesnt cost much, and it's easy", after one ortwo of those mods you move onto something bigger like an Intake.......Then you're HOOKED!
I love my car becuase it's my car. I realize it's nothing spectacular, but when people ask me bout the exaust, the intake, the stereo, the tints, or especially "Whats at
www.contour.org" it's a good feeling to sit there and explain.
Find some easy mods to do to your car, trust me you'll be hooked like the rest of us.
Hi there, and welcome to the site. Now for my 2 cents:
I do agree with the questions of if you didn't like the car from day 1, why buy it? BUT, that's your decision, and in all honesty, you made a good one. If not for some strange reason. LOL.
Anyway, to let you know, before we got our 98 Tour.... 4 cyl, I had a 1986 Tempo, and a 94 Escort GT. While both were good cars, the Tempo was on it's last leg. My hub & I went to the dealer, I told hub I wanted a 4 door this time, BUT he wanted a 4X4. We ended up getting a 94 Explorer.
A year later, for a Mother's Day/Birthday pressie for me, we looked into trading the Escort in. Once again, since he "stole" the Explorer from me, I told him a 4 door, I will NOT settle for anything less.
We went to the dealer, did the credit check, and the salesman says "I got the perfect thing for your family" and he pulls around in a 98 SE, champagne, 4 cyl. First thing out of my mouth was COOOOOOOOLLLLLL. I love the look of it. We got it to test drive it. My hub got to be the one since I forgot my license. As he drove it, first thing he said was "I want this car!" I casually reminded him that it's MY car, unless he was giving up the truck. LOL. He refused to do that though.
We got this car at 27,000 miles, it was used as a rental by the dealer. It was in great condition, no dings or dents. We have had this car since May of 99, and the only problems I have had were had to get the tranny rebuilt because the torque converter went out in October, and now, I have to replace an Oxygen sensor, but besides an elderly gent hitting my back door after pulling out from a parking spot.
The car gets great mileage, handles wonderfully, and it safer than our Explorer. We have 2 boys, one is 10yrs old, & the other is 7 months. Since finding this site, & my 10yr old seeing all the cars on here, he loves Contours even more.
Originally posted by 98contour:
As for the ignorant fool part you're not worth responding to
Well you are extremely ignorant to post such a question on a site like this (being as you also state you read the posts all the time)
You don't like anything about the car yet you bought one. That is extremely ignorant as well!
Then stating someone is not worth responding to is yet again ignorant since you just did what you said you were not going to do.
That's 3 strikes in favor of your ignorance. I'd vote 4 being as you probably don't know the meaning of the term ignorance which is why you as so.
jeez, people need to chill out, take a deep breath and relax, so much hostility on this board, treat people how you would like to be treated. And contour98, don't take the crap personally, somebody could have been in a better mood when they reply to you and it would be a nicer comment, it just seems that people are always in rough moods around here.
Thank you so much!!! You hit the nail on the head. I am new to the board and just wanted to ask an honest question and get insights and other viewpoints. I didn't want to take anyones firstborn child!! I have been reading the posts the last few days and thought this was a great site so (after asking for help on the site a couple of days ago) I just put my question out there to get all these great people that own this car to tell me why they love it so much. I don't know anything about cars so I wanted to learn. That was my sole intention. It really seemed like a bunch of nice people were using this site so I felt comfortable and jumped right in. Well I sure learned my lesson didn't I?
I must add the last few posts have been very helpful and I am reading and understanding what they are saying. I really appreciate those who responded in a kind and informative way as that is what I was seeking. I am looking at my car in a new light.
As for the hostile ones maybe you might want to consider Prozac or something or review your life if you are getting that upset and hostile over some woman posting her question on a website (even if it was in the wrong forum!)
Thanks everyone else.
Thank you so much for your insights. I am very interested in your statement "With around $7-10K in modifications (S/C or T/C, beefed-up transmission, suspension work, exhaust modifications, some minor engine work included, beefier brakes, etc.), you've now got a car that is back to hanging with cars that cost 2X as much." I would like to learn more about how I can improve my car. Where should I concentrate my efforts? I already have had a lot done but maybe more would help? I just need clarification on where the really important areas are. Should I check under modifications?
Again, thanks, and thank you for seeing my sincerity. I don't mean anything bad by my post.
OK here is where I am confused. What is an SVT? I think I have an SE. And how do I know if I have things like stiffer springs etc.? I know what interior options I have but thats about it. Also whats a zetech? I'm really not stupid just a woman trying to learn about her car.
Yes definately. For the money the Contour offered everything I wanted plus whereas for the same amount other cars only offered a base model. I guess my disillusionment started when the car was in the shop every month during the first year and a half. And not much has changed since then. Maybe I just have bad luck.
I agree. For the money it offered WAY more than any other car in its class.
Can a woman who doesn't know a thing about cars do any of these mods or do I have to take it in? Where do I start?
Thanks for your reply. I did buy the car because no doubt it was the best deal for the $$$. When I first got in it to drive I loved it (but I was also trading in a 10 year old car so anything new would have been great to me). I bought it took it home and it started to fall apart. Literally. Also I will say I never liked the body style but again thats a personal choice. Even though I didn't like the style I liked all the options for the money more so I just overlooked it. Now I find this site after I've had the car for 4 years and everyone is raving about it. So I'm just trying to see this car through others eyes and see what I am missing. With all the informative posts like yours I'm learning.!!!
LoL!! Well that explains a lot, you're a woman... Just kidding. Anyways, the best way to learn how to do things is just to get your hands dirty. Some mods you will be able to do... some you wont. Just read as much of this website as you can, ask a lot of ?'s, and listen to the answers. Also again if you are really interested, find someone close to your area, and hook up with them. Definatly go to the meets. a 98 Se can have just about anything on it, you just have to read the options that came with your car. I'ts also confusing because 98 was the year the models changed over. anyways I'm sure someone will post the differences... Have fun, and I really was kidding about the woman thing so please no women yell at me!!
I purchased my contour (98 se sport v6 atx) when the my prior car died rather suddenly. A bit of background. I tend to buy cars that please me for whatever reasons, without concern for what others think. Hence, at one time I had a Yugo and a Jaguar at the same time. (I lived in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee, and the yugo was hoot on the maountain roads..being a fiat by another name.) Anyway, I have driven mostly european cars, the above plus assorted fiats, alfa romeos, occasional VW, etc. Grew up with assorted other european cars coming through Dad's garage through the years. The "normal" european cars, plus the Abarth, the Lancias, the Simca, etc.
As a result I have come to appreciate the subtle "feel" given to cars designed in europe for europeans. Across the pond, drivers expect a greater sense of coimmunication between the driver and car. You can tell what the front tires are doing by the feel through the steering wheel if you know what to feel for. Generally, American and to a lesser degree Japanese manufacturers try to isolate the driver from these sensations. The countour allows me to have this driver pleasure, especially when I am trying to push the car quickly, and still be able to find parts at the local autozone. I love the engine design. The car is quite quick for what I paid.
I paid $8500 for a three year old SE sport w/ 61K. It presently has 96K. Previous owner had the MAF replaced under warranty, no other work. I have done normal preventative maintainence, and replaced the waterpump when it failed at 83K miles. Ford replaced all the catalytic cinverters under the emmisions warranty at 82K (first showed signs of failure at 78K, I drove the car another 4K before Ford got the parts in and I scheduled the car for service.) For me, the car had been quite reliable. The only other 4 door on my shopping list at the time was a VW jetta with the VR6. I doubt that I would have that any more reliable. My car was built in Kansas City, I suspect that the cars built in Mexico may have more problems.
In short, what I find in this car is similar to my experience with the Jaguars, Alfa Romeos, and Fiats that I have owned. Clever and fun engineering, let down by erratic execution at the build plant. I'll put up with that for a car that makes me smile.
(Especially if I get one of the ones that is more reliable.) The few Japanese cars that I have owned I couldn't wait to get rid of because they bored me.
I guess if after reading a lot of what is on this site, you still have to ask why people like their contours, then maybe this isn't for you?
Just a thought....
But I'll answer your question anyways....
I like my car cause it hauls tail and it corners like it's on rails. Plus it looks sweet. Pretty much the bottom line. I really don't need anything else out of my vehicle. Yeah I've spent some cash on her, well about $3500 in the last month, another $1000 going into a new clutch next week. But I don't mind dumping huge amounts of my money into it, I love it, it's my favorite thing to do in my freetime, besides my girlfriend
.
Oh yeah, SVT stands for Special Vehicle Team. I.E. the team of engineers that designed that particular model. They've also done the Mustang Cobra, Focus SVT and the F150 Lightning SVT (which are all still currently being produced).
ok...an SVT edition Contour ( i lovingly call, the baby brother to the Mustang Cobra) To me its a bad ass 4 door Demon on wheels. Its a V6 Duratech, with 200HP and I believe 189 or 195 torque! The more HP and Torque is due to Extrude Honing of the intake plennum. It has SVT freer flowing dual exhaust. A SVT Body kit(which is just side skirts, and svt front and rear bumpers), SVT springs which makes it sit lower and handle better on the turns....And other technical stuff which any other CEG'er Verteran can explain more.
Its basicly the "High Performance" Contour. Go to Fords SVT Website and you can see the spec's
ROZ
I LOVE my SVT Contour. I hate my SVT Contour, I hate Ford 'cuz they won't let me buy a new one.
Driving around on old twisty back roads, 30,000mi just driving around in circles for fun.
Being able to change lanes in a tenth of a second going 80mph+ (to avoid a moron crossing 3 lanes at 45mph right in front of me, the problem came in when he hit the brakes besides going so slow) (everybody else was going at least 70,,,,) I just twisted the wheel over and back, the tires let out a yowl, a tiny sway, and I was ok...in the next lane over.
This car is fantastic!!!! WOW
WOW
I am ruined for some screwed up barge, never again will I accept a P.O.S. handling car!!!
I could say more but i have to go back to work to PAY for my heap!!!
