Is there anything I can do to salvage your opinions of us at SVT? It certainly appears that many of you are angry with us and perhaps that can?t be changed. But I would rather put forth the effort and try to help than to sit idly by and watch everyone remain upset with us. I am personally interested in making sure SVT customers are taken care of, no matter which vehicle type it is, how much they paid, or whether they bought it new or used. That?s my job. No excuses, no smoke screen, that?s why I am here. That?s also why I am willing to discuss what we at SVT did and why. In order for me to do that though I need everyone?s help. But I think collectively we all can identify the main issues, and hopefully come up with some answers and/or solutions.

With that said, lets see if we can identify the issues.

Troy

Why has the SVT Enthusiast magazine been discontinued to current SVT owners? The only way to get it now is by joining SVTOA for an unworthy $40.

Regards


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Michael Amisano
1998 SVT Contour E1 - Black 'n' Blue
5785 of 6535
New Engine: 09/00 @ 42K
On Order:

• MSDS Headers
• Pro-M 75mm MAFS
• KKM Air Filter

SHO-Shop Y-pipe (SOLD)
mamisano@optonline.net

My concern right now is how this vehicle is going to last.

I have had 2 Hondas that have combined almost excess 300,000 miles. The way I am taking my current SVT in, it is questionable whether or not it we realistically last more than 60000 miles. This is not taking away from the way the car drives and handles. In this aspect, it is in a class all of it's own. My only beef is that being an SVT, one would seem to expect some quality as opposed to quanity (i.e. performance).

Final Verdict: I will be buying a Honda Accord or some other import very soon.

Had the SVT but...Didn't last too long.

------------------


The point of the matter is....There is no quality in this vehicle. There is a very good reason they no longer make this vehicle....It does not and will not stand the test of time...

So sorry...literally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[This message has been edited by skiin007 (edited March 29, 2001).]

Troy,

I think the majority of the animosity stems from the Contour being virtually ignored in anything public. Rarely are there mentions of the car in the SVT enthusiast mag. there is no longer any SVT Contour merchandise available for purchase (at least not that we are aware of)
Recent things also aren't helping, like many who purchased 2000 SVT's and are supposed to get the SVT Enthusiast for a year receive their latest issue w/ a note telling them this will be their last one unless they join the SVTOA (and some still haven't received the issue in question, like myself). Some other things are involved also, I'm sure, but I don't remember them off the top of my head.
I personally am not livid w/ SVT like some of the other members here, but if you would like to contact me outside of this forum to see what we can do to resolve this situation, my home email is in my signature below, and my CDS ID is bphill24, and you should know the rest.
Thanks for the effort.

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Uber Moderator!

2000 Contour SVT Tropic Green #1065 of 2150
K&N drop-in, B&M Shifter, Sony Xplod head unit, Polk audio speakers
My old Web Page
(To be updated as soon as my ISP's hosting site gets off their butt.)
bcphillips@peoplepc.com

Ok since you asked.

First off why is it that there are no performance parts offered for the SVT Contour? By this I mean why have you (SVT) not helped with securing sources or suppliers?
I am led to believe that you have direct contact with SVE, which is out of europe. so why did we not get acess to the european goods? i.e. wheels, suspension kitts etc.
I have many more but your about to be bombarded, so lastly I ask (and I have only been here six months or so) why is this your first visit? Why have we not had a rep from SVT come to this site to ask this before?

[This message has been edited by TLP (edited March 29, 2001).]

Troy,

First of all thank you for hearing our concerns and having the guts to come on here and listen to what we have to say. My biggest complaint is the total lack of support for the Contour SVT i.e., factory support, merchandise support, print support (magazines, etc.) just to name a few.

It is a big disappointment when I pick up the Ford catalog and there is not one thing, not even a pen, for the Contour enthusiasts to buy. I see Cobra, Lightning, Focus, but no Contour. This might seem insignificant but this is just the tip of the iceberg. I have a list of concerns that I have but I know everyone has there own concerns so I will keep this short.

It is obvious how we all feel about our cars, we just wish SVT felt the same way.


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'98 T-Red Contour SVT
#2767 of 6535
DOB: 8/97

[This message has been edited by 98RedSVT (edited March 29, 2001).]

I'm thinking maybe you should remove the www.svt.ford.com link from your profile...we do not claim this site and we are no longer part of it...also the main page with the focus is an insult to us all...actually more like a kick in the nuts...."we at SVT understand you paid 20,000 for our car but that was last year...now it's the SVT Focus and ...OH! by the way we are canceling your subscription to your SVT mag even though we said we would give it to you for a year."
I used to work at a Ford dealership and I know how shady they can be but SVT takes the cake for sure. My father has been a GM at a Ford dealership for 18 years he's always had fords and so have I....but because of the disrespect shown to my contour by being booted from your site and given my outright release you can bet your ass my next car isn't going to be a Ford.
Just because the car is no longer in production doesn't mean it doesn't deserve the respect of being upheld on the site. You designed a great car and should be proud of it. Not toss it aside and forget where it has gotten you.

Troy, if there is ANY way SVT can make an appearence at Spring Zing 2001 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, that would be a big head start on the reparations that NEED to be made. There was a guy previously from SVTOA that chimed in here for a week or so, and seemed genuinely concerned for the SVT Contour and it's owners, but that was just the tip of the iceburg and nothing came of it but rants.

We are not as much upset that the CSVT is no longer being produced, as much as SVT's appearent disavowment of the Contour, it's "front-wheel drive flop".

I can only hope that this experience paves the way for some respect for the SVT Focus. I would love to see the number of people that actually new SVT made a Contour. Not too many.

When I purchased my Contour in 97, I bought from a dealer that recently lost their SVT dealer status. When I asked what happened, they stated that in order to keep that SVT status, and be able to sell Cobra's and Lightnings, they HAD to order a certain number of CSVT's. This dealer, and MANY other dealers, have lost their SVT status because of the Contour. You can imagine dealers anmosity toward the Contour as well.

The US public was not ready to use the terms "front-wheel drive" and "performance" and "domestic" to describe a car. It was dead before it hit the showroom floor. No matter how much the car mags praised the CSVT, it never made too many "best Buy" rates. Also, the death of the Contour as a whole platform was the lack of advertising. Sure, the Contour was a money loser to produce at times, and that might have killed it. There are several factors.

One thing that probably all CSVT owners would like to see is the same treatment as Cobra and Lightning owners. As you might see, we are pretty damn proud of the Contour, and its showcase SVT variant.

Long live CEG!

"I will not go quietly into that dark night..."

------------------
Chris Hightower
CEG Mod-Squad
CEG Keychainer
Contour WebChat
98.5 Contour GL Sport
Some mods... More to come.
Silver, V6, ATX, Moonroof

2001 Lincoln LS8 Fully loaded.
http://crush7.dyndns.org/

Troy,

Let me second the mention of there not being any decent aftermarket support from SVT for the Contour with regards to performance or asthetic enhancements. As far as quality issues with the car - I did not and do not expect it to be perfect considering the price that I paid for the car when new. My personal feelings are that there is/was nothing that compares to the performance, handling, and utility that I got with the SVT than was otherwise available IMO.

One final question that I have is with regards to the future. I know personally that I would buy a Focus SVT - if only it was offerred in sedan version. It may not be as popular, but most of the people that bought Contours in SVT trim probably did so because of the handling and 4 door utility. How hard/expensive would it be to drop the engine/suspension into the 4-door Focus?

But - I do love my SVT and it far surpasses what I expected of it.

------------------
Dave

99 Toreador Red SVT/Tan Interior/high flow res/K&N drop-in/painted grills/painted calipers
#2228

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chris Hightower:
[B]Troy, if there is ANY way SVT can make an appearence at Spring Zing 2001 in Kalamazoo, Michigan,......


Best bring your body armour...slings and arrows and all that ..... Some of the issues brought up by the members here resonate if only because so many of us believe them .... $23000 may not be a lot of money to some people, but it is to those of us who spent it on a car with expectations of support similar to that the Cobra and Lightning oowners get ... jj


[This message has been edited by jjost (edited March 29, 2001).]