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Joined: Dec 2002
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jerseycat you fall under the "lazy" category  You auto-only guys don't know how much fun it is to shift for yourself and feel the powa!! About LA traffic I can empathize. Manual can be a bit tedious in traffic but I've never had my leg go weary, driving through countless traffic jams, including through downtown Manhattan last month  If you want a heavy leg-tiring clutch, drive a gravel train  Mazda 6 - score another 10 points in my book 
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 73
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Originally posted by akrump47:
Seriously??!! The 6 Handles as well as a BAT equipped contour!! You better not be kidding . . .
Yeah Akrump47, it really does handle as good if not better. Save the emergency lane change or a quick back and forth manuever (showed more body roll). I did take a curve that I took in my tour at 80. In the tour I felt a little more nervous. With the 6 I felt quite a bit different. The car felt very balanced and composed. My tour used to feel like the rear end was about to step out when at it's limits. So far I have not detected any of that in my 6. I have taken it up to where I set the limits in the tour and it felt very safe, composed, and balanced. So far I am very impressed and happy. Now if I can only get the damn thing broken in so I can see how quick she is.
This might be another topic all together but an interesting one.. I named my 1st tour Slider for its propensity to understeer and slide (happened a few times). Named my second Slider 2 (only had the trouble plagued car for 7 months). Have any of you named your cars? I can't seem to think of a good one for my new one. I do think though that cars need to earn their names a bit 
Mystang
Mazda6 3.0 5spd sports package
Traded in...96 Contour SE V6 5sp
ICW Racing 606H 17 inch wheels
BAT suspension
63,000 plus; more problems
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Joined: Nov 2002
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He bought those thing at a much higher cost than even the most expensive repair on his old car would have cost. It seems a little moronic to worry about "expensive repairs" and use that as a justification to buy a new car. Either you're worried about money, or you aren't. (Resale value? Hahah. Drive the new car off the lot and the difference between what you paid and what it's worth is about a 3L Duratec installed....)
Not to mention his comments about putting up with Ford service--after the vehicle is out of warranty, I'm not sure why ANYONE would go to the dealership for service? My only dealings with Ford after the car goes out of warranty is to order parts. Bill Jenkins is a great guy to deal with so I have no problem with that.
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 1,228
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Originally posted by brianl703:
(Resale value? Hahah. Drive the new car off the lot and the difference between what you paid and what it's worth is about a 3L Duratec installed....)
um, and then you have a 5 year old car worth $4,500 again...
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Joined: Nov 2002
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A car is a liability, not an asset.
If you intend to drive the car for several more years, a 3.0L upgrade probably makes sense. You're doing it for additional enjoyment of your vehicle, not to increase the resale value.
I have a 1988 Mustang GT. Care to look up the blue book value on it? It's worth a lot more than that to me, and that's all that matters.
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Joined: May 2000
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Originally posted by brianl703:
A car is a liability, not an asset.
If you intend to drive the car for several more years, a 3.0L upgrade probably makes sense. You're doing it for additional enjoyment of your vehicle, not to increase the resale value.
I have a 1988 Mustang GT. Care to look up the blue book value on it? It's worth a lot more than that to me, and that's all that matters.
i believe those are very valid statements... it's what you 'experience' that makes a car more valuable to someone. to me, it didn't make sense to sink over $4k into my old SVT because i had just paid the darn thing off - and to me, i would be running negative on my 'equity' on that car... it made more sense to get a 'new' car, because i've been learning that i enjoy the feel of a new car and enjoy that just as much as i would enjoy restoring a classic.
to me, it's more demanding to have a new car with warranty simply because i have two kids to haul around and their safety takes precedence over my primal urges
someday, when they're out of the house - i'll be back to my RWD Mustang days 
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Joined: Apr 2002
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Congrats... I fully empathize with you as I have given up on trying to keep my 95 Mystique going, and just purchased an '04 Mazda 6s (V6 5-speed) as my replacement. It's one of the most reasonable replacements for the Contique, very analagous in terms of the value and sleeper quotient as the Contour/Mystique was in it's day. I've been fortunate, compared to others here, with the reliability/repair issues on the 'tique, and my plans were to keep the Mystique as my "winter beater" in VT - but the ABS/TC has died, and that combined with the constant CEL issues are making me ready to punt on the Mercury in the spring.
Surely the 6 will not be without some warts, but Ford is pinning its hopes on the platform for many Ford/Mercury sedan variants in the coming years, so plenty of mods/tricks/aftermarket parts are on the horizon. I plan to keep mine mostly stock through the warranty period (as I did with the Mystique) and take it from there. I haven't had a chance to open up my 6 either, but it conveys a sense of agility and nimbleness normally found in cars costing $10-15K more.
happy motoring,
-Peter
04 Mazda 6s V6 MTX, in service 10/28/03
02 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport 165HP 4cyl auto AWD
former: 95 Mystique LS V6 MTX [11/14/94-5/19/04]
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Originally posted by brianl703:
He bought those thing at a much higher cost than even the most expensive repair on his old car would have cost. It seems a little moronic to worry about "expensive repairs" and use that as a justification to buy a new car. Either you're worried about money, or you aren't.
There comes a point in every cars life where you are better off letting it go. Did I love my tours? Yes. Did I enjoy driving them? Hell yeah. Did I want to be in on any longer hell NO! Once a car reaches a certain point it is not worth pooring money into. I was still going to ford because I bought a warranty. But there were other things continually wrong with the car that weren't covered. I was spending the money every month equivalent to a new car payment, except I was without a my current car and didn't have a new one. Another thing to look at is time is money. I was tired of spending time taking it to where ever to get it fixed, time getting a ride, time waitin for a ride, time picking it up, time waiting for it. I was tired of canceling plans to go out of town because my damn car decided it was time for the O2 sensor to go out. It just wasn't worth it anymore. You talk about expensive repairs. I talk about the peace of mind I have now that I am in something new reliable and covered. Bottom line is I am spending the same amount of money, but now I have my time back and I can relax.
Mystang
Mazda6 3.0 5spd sports package
Traded in...96 Contour SE V6 5sp
ICW Racing 606H 17 inch wheels
BAT suspension
63,000 plus; more problems
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God forbid you spend your money how you choose.  Congrats on the purchase!
2000 Silver Frost SVT
# 1637/2150
D.O.B. 01/14/2000
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I've still got a '96 Contour. In the two years since I bought it [outright, no car payment] it's required an alternator (which was killed by a defective battery), a battery, a waterpump, and an oil pan gasket. Oh, it also needed an O2 sensor (which the dealer charged $170 to replace, which is about $120 more than I could have done it for myself--I wasn't going to argue since they replaced the precat under the emissions warranty at the same time).
I also had to put new tires on it.
Needless to say, I do not share your experience of needing a car payment's worth of repairs every month. Not even on my 1988 Mustang GT, which has parts die of old age if they don't die of mileage.
The '96 Contour has the defective wiring harnesses, but I fully intend to make Ford replace them under the 99M03 recall since I'm going to keep it for another few years.
The extended warranty is just about useless, by the way. I had one on my '95 Contour, and I wouldn't bother with it again, mainly because Ford service sucks and because the $1500 it costs would buy a hell of a lot of service at an independent shop.
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