SVT Contour

I've only driven one and it was a few years back, but for the money they're actually rather decent looking and really do handle nicely. I'm currently using a Contour GL (with the Zetec 4 banger...what a turd) as a beataround car and it's held up quite well for 125k miles. Granted you get the typical Ford quality inside even with the leather, but for the price it's forgivable. In '99 they upped the horsepower/torque a bit (these use Roush designed cams) and in '00 (last year) they upgraded to the MT75 tranny which is still in use today (in the Focus and whatnot...there's a Quaife LSD out there for it now too which is very reasonably priced) and I think the ECU was upgraded as well. They're a fairly rare car with only about 2500/year made so seeing them isn't so common, but there is one in my little town that I see almost every day. They're also reasonably moddable as in Europe (called the Mondeo there) they race them so there's a lot of options as well as several supercharger and turbo kits out there now. They're definitely a good bang for the buck I'd say, but sadly sometimes suffer from Ford's typical quality issues (cheap interior, cheap factory waterpump, et cetera...)

Check out www.contour.org and you'll find a ton of info about them there.

 

Is the Contour smaller then the tarus(sp?)?

I am wondering where they fit in the Ford world.

 

the contour is smaller than the taurus, quite smaller.

from a performance p.o.v., my 96 impala had no problem "blowing the doors off" of this kid in a black one in town, definitely a post '00 model, but no telling how ragged out it was.

 

Then why not get an impala? Is there a large price difference?

 

The Contour is 100% carbage, and they weren't rare. Most of them have been recycled into things that actually work and stay bolted together. Like Yugo 2's and Trabant 2's.

What an awful car.

 

the problem with the impala is a) the age, b) the quality, c) the gas mileage.

Finding a 94-96 Impala SS in good condition with do-able miles can cost a fortune.

0-10,000 miles: $25,000+
10,000-30,000 miles: $20,000-$25,000
30,000-50,000 miles: $16,000-$20,000
50,000-80,000 miles: $12,000-$16,000
80,000-110,000 miles: $10,000-$12,000
110,000+ miles: Value < $10,000 and dependant on vehicle condition

The 5.7L LT1 requires a bit of maintenance, and there are several minor build quality flaws to be expected of a cheap GM sedan of ten years ago. OFC, probably nowhere near as many as on the Contour.

A nice thing about the SS is the Whiplash Factor. Having a sweet car like that gives you the Ferrari experience: Complete strangers staring, approaching, questioning, gawking, loving your car. It may be no 355, but it turns heads for sure.

Check out www.naisso.net for further information, or interest in purchase, or my '96 DCM can be bought for a low price from my parents.

 

I was looking at one a year or so ago as a possible winter time car - I am not a fan of FWD cars - and this one has too much power for it's own good - at least in wet weather.

Other than that - nice car.

 

In June of '99 we bought our first CSVT, and that August we bought a second one. They have been excellent cars, and we still have one of the two now (one was totaled at 89.000 miles which was a shame as it was close to perfect). At 100,000+ it is going strong, it is entirely dependable, and it still performs very well. If it wasn't an American car, it would have sold for $10,000 more than sticker. One thing you might want to do though is to get a set of 17" wheels as you'll have more tire choices. The Gforce tires that came with it performed outstandingly, but they transmitted excessive road noise. The interior has held up well, and the engine is wonderful (changing the oil and filter is all you'll need to do). Driving hard it is good for 25-26 on the road. Naturally, it gets less in town. That Ford doesn't currently make a 300 hp version of the CSVT (or its equivalent) makes me wonder just what FMC is doing/thinking. I've heard that the 2000 model was better than the '99, but I've had no experience with it. Check out SVT Performance .com for additional info on this car if you get the chance. One more thing -- it isn't quick off the line, but if you can drive, you'll have a lot of fun.

 

the red one, You're right about the colors (we got black because we got the best deals on them). Both of my brothers bought the silver, and the one who still owns his has had only to replace the alternator (108,000 miles). The one who traded his has said that he wishes he had it back as it was an excellent commuter car.

 

Hey, first time I've checked out this section.

I have an '00 CSVT for my daily driver that I bought new. It's not a bad car and pretty decent performance. At the time, I was tired of working on my Milano Verde and considered the this, an A4, or a used BMW. All in all not a bad car, kind of cheap in places, but as usual for domestic cars the resale value is horrible. I also considered a WRX, but they weren't out yet and I wasn't sure if Subaru would actually bring it to the U.S. I should have waited.