Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General General Reliability

The cd4e is really no worse than any other auto, IF you do regular fluid changes and SHOULD install a cooler (I don't have one and don't have trouble ((knock on wood))).

Is the CD4E from other vehicles compatible with the Contour? I saw its in the probe and some mazda's, too..

k,here's my experience from owning 3 Contiques over the past 2 years:

1998 Mercury Mystique GS Sport - 4 cylinder,automatic - milage at purchase: 211 500km. Milage at trade in - 253 000km
No mechanical or transmission problems through the ownership that ever had the car off the road for more than a day. Just before I got rid of it,my thermostat stuck open and it ran cold,and I had to do a brake job on it a few months prior. The 4 cylinder automatics are terrible on gas,horribly slow and IMO,would not recommend one. The 4 cyls are very reliable. I loved this car and wish I never got rid of it. Owned it for 10 months.

1995 Ford Contour GL - V6,5 speed - milage at purchase: 260 811km. Milage at scrap: 300 892km.
- Horrible car. Impossible to work on,everything broke or wore out. I went through 2 transmissions,replaced CV shafts,struts,balljoints,wheel bearings,water pump,brakes...all in like 6 months. I had the car for 11 months. V6s are great on gas with a manual,extremely peppy,fun to drive and sound awesome,but if they break,I don't wish it on anyone. I will buy another Contique,but never ever another V6 after this experience.

Current driver,a 1995 Contour GL - 4 cyl,5 speed. Milage at purchase: 264 300km. Current milage: just shy of 270 000km.
-I bought this car in November of last year and stored it all winter and have only been driving it since June. To pass safety it only needed a driver's side wheel bearing and brakes all around. This car runs absolutely fantastic,manual tranny shifts smooth as butter,but my clutch needs replacing soon,and this is not a fun or cheap job. Great car,love it,haven't had any problems yet,going to continue to drive it daily until I finish building my truck,then once/if this one craps out,I'll go out and buy another 4 cyl/5 spd.

I love these cars. So basically,go find a 4 cyl,5 speed. Automatics SUCK. You won't be disappointed.

Well if you get a mystique, any probems you notice are probably those that the dealer or previous owner didn't take the time to fix which are both COMMON and mentioned on this website and this board of how to fix. This car is not the EASIEST to mod car like let's say a civic as it is discontinued and the parts are hard to come by, but it's not that expensive to do some nice aesthetic mods to it. FOr about that price, I don't think you're going to have any of the nic things working like A/C or even a nice stereo but those are things you can fix later on. What you want to see is if the tranny is still good with no jerks, and that electrically the car runs well. If so you'll see that the next big headache (if you get the Duratec) is the impossible or expensive labour for this car simply because it's a V6 crammed in there for no [censored] reason. Generally, buy it, and for another $400-$500 you can have her running like new or in really good condition through the mods and maintenence tips on this site. Enjoy.

I have had my car since August of 98' and it has been great. Just change the oil and keep an eye on the little things and you will be fine. $2,ooo on any car should make you be careful, but I can tell you my car has never let me down. Make sure you do preventative maintenance on it...