my first week with my 1998 Ford Contour

[Iron Woode]

so far so good.

This car replaced my dearly departed 1987 Ford Crown Vic.

We went from just above seasonal temps to below seasonal temps and ice and snow. The car has performed great. Warms up fast and is quite peppy with the 4 speed automatic trans. Fuel economy is way better, too. No problems at all with the car. I am looking at getting some snow tires for it for maximum winter safety.

 

[brblx]

good luck with that tranny.

i know a guy who worked for a salvage yard for some years, and he said getting a contour with a working transmission is like finding gold. i believe him.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Mandatory pics!

My bro and I shared a 97 with the 2.5L V6 years ago. Damn that car was a lot of fun. Congrats on the new ride.

 

[JulesMaximus]

A friend of mine had one of those years ago. It was a total pile of shit and falling apart after a few years of ownership. The dash was peeling off like the skin on a rotten orange.

Good luck with yours.

 

[Bignate603]

A friend of mine had one of those years ago. It was a total pile of shit and falling apart after a few years of ownership. The dash was peeling off like the skin on a rotten orange.

Good luck with yours.

The one he got is over 10 years old. Somehow I bet if it was going to fall apart after a year or two it would have done so by now.

 

[Iron Woode]

Mandatory pics!

My bro and I shared a 97 with the 2.5L V6 years ago. Damn that car was a lot of fun. Congrats on the new ride.

I will post pics in a little while. I have some things to do and then I will post some pics. The car is a little dirty right now from the crappy wintry weather.

 

[Iron Woode]

here are pics of the Contour:

 

[MadScientist]

My wife still drives the 2000 2.5L V6 SE we bought new. Fuel pump and the dash were replaced under warranty, other than that just normal maintenance items. Quick, good handling car, decent mpgs, but not enough driver leg room.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Nice Mondeo. My BiL has one of that generation with the 2.0 Zetec that won't die.

 

[sandorski]

Looks at Calendar, looks at date of OP.

Dude, you're behind.

 

[SonicIce]

I have a 95 with 55000 miles. It's a decent car but has some issues right now, it makes a strange noise and keeps trying to stall.
http://jord.nm.ru/mycar.jpg

 

[Iron Woode]

I have a 95 with 55000 miles. It's a decent car but has some issues right now, it makes a strange noise and keeps trying to stall.
http://jord.nm.ru/mycar.jpg

that sounds very bad.

if you think the car is worth it, you should fix the issues.

good luck with it.

 

[Iron Woode]

I found a Contour club of sorts: http://www.contour.org/

 

[Zap]

I found a Contour club of sorts: http://www.contour.org/

There's a lot of good information there regarding fixes for common issues, recommended mods, etc. I used to use that as a resource when I had my Contour SVT.

 

[Vetterin]

Here's a pic of my 98's engine after 86,000 miles.

 

[vi edit]

The Contour/Mystique was a cool car that just didn't appeal to many American car buyers. It was too small, had a small displacement DOHC V6 that didn't have the same bottom end torque that they were used to. And it's more athletic suspension was too firm for many people.

But for the right person, it was a very nimble little sedan that provided a nice shifting 5 speed mated up to a spunky V6 that like to dance at higher RPM's.

It was an exceptional handler in SVT trim. One of the best handling FWD sedans ever made.

 

[PricklyPete]

The Contour/Mystique was a cool car that just didn't appeal to many American car buyers. It was too small, had a small displacement DOHC V6 that didn't have the same bottom end torque that they were used to. And it's more athletic suspension was too firm for many people.

But for the right person, it was a very nimble little sedan that provided a nice shifting 5 speed mated up to a spunky V6 that like to dance at higher RPM's.

It was an exceptional handler in SVT trim. One of the best handling FWD sedans ever made.

A friend of mine had one of these SVT models when I was a freshmen in college. He would drive that thing like a crazy man...but oh was it fun. He sold it the following year after getting his license suspended for so many tickets (even with a radar detector).

 

[AMDMaddness]

I used to have a 1996 Contour 4cyl... loved that car just didn't love the teal color. I put 45,000 miles on it with only one issue of a broken tensioner (I broke it changing the belt) but other than that it was a nice car. I may buy another one of these days they get great MPG. I had an Xterra for the last 6yrs or so and just got rid of it for an 07 Sonata.. I must say that 240hp Sonata SE is one hell of an upgrade from the old Xterra.

 

[angry hampster]

It was an exceptional handler in SVT trim. One of the best handling FWD sedans ever made.

Friend of mine in high school had one with a magnaflow exhaust, short shifter, fairly solid motor mounts, and a few other mods. That thing was a LOT of fun to drive. Much more responsive than my GTI.

 

[Iron Woode]

cool that many here have owned or still own one.

So far its been a very good car. Mileage has been great. The suspension is a little stiff but handles very well.

sort of glad it doesn't have the v6 or I would drive the hell out of it.

 

[Kaieye]

I got the same V-six motor in my Mazda 2000 MPV. It has over 151k miles and still running the same since day one. Great engine...

 

[SonicIce]

Here's a pic of my 98's engine after 86,000 miles.

that looks cleaner than mine with 55,000 miles

 

[Pacfanweb]

The Contour/Mystique was a cool car that just didn't appeal to many American car buyers. It was too small, had a small displacement DOHC V6 that didn't have the same bottom end torque that they were used to. And it's more athletic suspension was too firm for many people.

But for the right person, it was a very nimble little sedan that provided a nice shifting 5 speed mated up to a spunky V6 that like to dance at higher RPM's.

It was an exceptional handler in SVT trim. One of the best handling FWD sedans ever made.

Also didn't help that they were the worst Fords built in 20 years.

I agree that Woode's is probably one of the few good ones, since it's ten years old and still going, but the vast majority were total junk piles. Recall after recall after recall, tons of other issues.

 

[Vetterin]

that looks cleaner than mine with 55,000 miles

Thanks, Here's the outside and FWIW in the 11 yrs and 86,000 miles the ONLY parts that have crapped out on me were the fuel pump and crank shaft position sensor. Routine maintenance does go a long way.

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[Iron Woode]

Thanks, Here's the outside and FWIW in the 11 yrs and 86,000 miles the ONLY parts that have crapped out on me were the fuel pump and crank shaft position sensor. Routine maintenance does go a long way.

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nice looking car!