My last photo shoot with this car. Shame it was about 16 degrees out and way too cold to give it a bath. The car ran great when I sold it today, which made it all the harder to give up.
My usual school hosting is down for the holidays .. apologies if AOL FTP space goes down for bandwidth use.
Too icy to go down the hill to the boat ramp, so I stopped at the road instead:
Greystone cloth interior, excellent condition...
A bit of 1998 dash warp:
We recorded mileage as 77,777 on the bill of sale
.. got a kick doing that
My only exterior aesthetic mod: Apple sticker with my Clifford alarm antenna (the alarm went with the car, shame
)
This LED came with the car when we bought it in 2001, supposed Ford dealer-installed alarm that was removed. I wanted to keep this piece to install in an SVT later, but didn't have the time to hunt junkyards for a replacement.
Cord and switch for radar detector (snakes up the A-pillar)
Final resting spot when I left it at Harbro used cars in Oxford/Webster, MA
... she will most certainly be missed.
I am a shining example of someone who regularly gets hosed by the Ford stealership.
Below are a few (but not nearly all) of the repairs or maintenance the Contour has required under my and my parents' ownership:
8/22/05 - 9/02/05: 75K miles: diagnosis/x2, new WP, thermostat, radiator, O2 sensor (p1151), front brake pads/rotors, coolant flush: $1328.54
5/19/05: windshield (d'oh for no comprehensive insurance
): $245.00
3/18/05 - 3/25/05: 68K miles: diagnosis, lower control arms, inner tie rods, lower ball joints, front and rear sway bar links/bushings, alignment: $1606.43
10/18/04: 64K miles: front pads, rear shoes, rear cylinders: $358.87 (leaky cylinders forced me to bring a Subaru to the Fall '04 meet
)
10/15/04: 64K miles: tires/x4, alignment: $418.47
2/3/04: 54K miles: upper/lower intake gaskets/manifold, power steering pump and belt, tranny flush: $884.81
1/14/03: 40K miles: diagnosis, O2 sensors: $335.30
3/22/02: 33K miles: both front rotors cracked (God forbid I make an emergency stop
... covered by warranty), new pads: $103.91
3/19/02: 33K miles: failed MA state inspection; tie rod ends, alignment: $222.87
7/19/01: 27K miles: muffler broke at cats, rear sway bar links and bushings: covered by warranty
3/27/01: 24K miles: new shifter (was loose), fuel pump, ignition and all locks, rear plate plastic housing: covered by warranty
and apparently the list wasn't even complete.