Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Did you buy new or used?

95 Contour GL - bought used, 3rd owner, 2nd owner was baco99
00 SVT - husband bought new

and to add for kicks:
01 Cougar - bought new

My dad bought my 1998 SE Sport, w/19k, for around $8,000 in 2003. Then he handed me the payment book...

Bought mine new in September of 2000. I got a fairly good deal as they seemed to be getting worried about selling it. It was still sitting on the showroom floor though.

Bought my contour back in October of 2003 (hentz the reg date). I am the 3rd owner (I think), Car had 100669 miles on it when I picked it up... As of yesterday the car rolled over to 119K miles. I love the car to death, but its been expensive to keep on the road. When I got it, the thing ran great... Shortly down the road It needed timing belt, brakes, AC Clutch and bearings, 2 new ignition coils, new muffler... And now I think I need a new hub bearing on my driver side. But still trying to figure out that grinding noise.

father got his 95 in 96 with about 9k on it from a dealer

I got my mystique in 00 from a small dealer with 83k on it, we are the 4th owner

the first 99 was around 01 or 02 I think, got from a dealer, same as the first 95 with 56k on it

my 99 we got by a private sale alittle over 2 years ago with about 56k on it

Back in the day, there was an end-of-year sale (March 2000) at OC Welch Ford in South Carolina. They had six cars left under the sales tent. Me and mum figured out monthly payments and snapped up a white '99 Contour Sport with 61 miles on the odometer and a blue '99 Mystique GS with 4 miles on the odometer. I really wanted the white '99 Cougar V6 there, but I didn't know how to drive a manual at the time. We eventually traded the cars in on a massive lot sale at the local Kia dealer for a 2003 Optima and Sedona. The Mystique had about 30K and the Contour around 41K. They got more for the Mystique when it sold because it wasn't in any fenderbenders.

I still find it odd to this day that we found a set of NEW '99s in MY 2000.

-SAV

New. We drove it off the lot with 12 miles on it (IIRC) in July of 1998. We had rented one on our honeymoon a few months earlier and liked it. We were newly married and only had the one car (my 1982 Subaru--low, low miles) and needed something for my wife. I went to the dealer with the idea of looking at the cheapest thing (like an Escort) but my wife liked the Contour. She talked me into it, and then the V6 MTX. We only wish we had power windows/ locks.

We have always liked it. My wife still drives it every once in a while and says she misses it. But we have two kids and they love the van, plus it is tons easier.

It's done well over the years, not needed too much maintenance/ repairs, until the past few years. Now it feels as if everything is going wrong. Flywheel, Speed sensor, O2 Sensors, exhaust gasket, oil pan gasket, clutch, wheel bearings... But we still love it, plus it's paid for!

We also, coincidentally, had a 1996 Sport (Zetec) in Black for a few years. So we actually had 2 black Contours at one time. Kinda funny, it wasn't on purpose. I had a car die, and needed something soon and cheap. We went back to the dealer that took care of us with the new 1998, and he said I have a good deal on this...