VERY nice 2.0L Zetec 4cyl. Smooth gear changes on Auto transmission Great fuel economy (350 - 400mi per tank) Overdrive "Passing Button" to turn on/off the overdrive with the touch of a button. LARGE Trunk!

Hesitation on acceleration (Suspecting clogged fuel injectors, getting those cleaned now) Temperature gauge reads high normal (Told by Ford that this is usual for the Contours, no worries here.)

I've driven my friend's Contour before, and decided after my Mustang was involved in an accident, I'd use the cash from that to get me one. The vehicle I got was purchased from a private dealer for quite a nice price. However, with it being so low, I felt it necessary to make sure I knew what I was getting into. After running a Vehicle History report, I found it was used as a rental car for the first year and a half it was ever driven. The car has 134500 miles, and from what I've seen and been told by the mechanics, it has been taken care of quite well. It has PLENTY of room for me, and the performance is better than that of my old 4cyl Mustang! The only issue I've had with the car was the first cylinder sparkplug fouling out. I got all of those replaced along with new wires. Just remember folks, when purchasing a used vehicle, you don't know who has driven it before you. KNOW what you're getting into. Check out the car thoroughly, and treat it well. My Mustang was purchased used, had 250K+ before the wreck and it was running perfectly. I expect to get an extra 100K out of this Contour before moving onto a new vehicle. Great car for the price!

-Sounds great -fast enough for me -Zetec engine really does give more horsepower, for more horspower from the start, and on the highway -comfortable -reliable -big trunk

Just the transmission that Ford paid for.

Great Car! I bought it at 17,000 miles and now i have 25,000. I've had only one problem, the trans went at 17,500 but it was under warranty. I trust this car anywhere i go. The 4 cylinders sound great when your accelerating, not to powerfull off the line (0-60, in 9.3 seconds, automatic) but when your on the highway, the zetec engine comes to life when it boosts in the extra horsepower. I've had friends beat me off the line (95 camry)(99 civic), but on the highway the contour is king. It handles good, and the seats are very comfortble. I wish i had the SVT though, it has a very powerful V6. And there is a great groundkit that Ford made for this car, it looks natural on it, and can be seen on teh SVT's. I reccomend this car too anyone

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97 corrolla (too slow, too small, to weak, if u get in an accident with this car it crumbles)

Fast, strong, great for travel

not enough after market parts

When i got this car, i was excited. Its sleek, and very fast. So far i have had few problems, and i will be trying to find another contour soon. I have souped up my car to be a show car, and i have put over $4,000 into it in extras. I use it for work, i deliver pizza in it. It is an awesome car to have.

Car has got some get up and go. Just slightly less peppy than my previous Ford Probe SE. Car has had very few reliability issues. Trunk space is good. Rear seating room is good for this small a sedan. Heat and air is quick to respond. Power everything.

Had the same irritating "Check Engine" idiot light issue so many others have had. Usually only lights on very hot summer days. Check engine on a Ford is emissions only, so its not a life or death problem. Turned out to be a catalytic converter sending the wrong voltage to a sensor. I never had the cats replaced as I heard it reduces the Countour's HP. My solution was to pull the 3-amp fuse for the ECC memory. So now the computer doesn't hold emission codes after the car is turned off. Had to replace the water pump and termostat at 85K, but it was to be expected.

Splended car for the money. Peppy, comfortable, no cheap plastic look. Didn't buy a warranty, and havn't need it. Drives well, stops well, cruises the 12,000 foot high roads in the Rocky Mountains well. Will keep it until I pay off the loan, for sure.

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Chevy Malibu - Junk

FAST. RELIABLE. GOOD CAR

yes the cup holders

the best car ever made. FAST. SPORTY. COMPACT. FAST. GOOD LOOKING. I have put 200+k a new battery and wiper blades tires

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taurus with more$$$ no car comes close

The car has been a work horse for me. On the highway, it drives very well.

This latest upset, a fire under the hood has me blindsided and wanting to repair my paid for car and get rid of it immediately. I do not plan to buy a Ford again.

I am just going to list the problems: check engine light has remained on since I bought the car, with no engine problem electrical wiring problems-dash lights have gone out...when repaired, others went out I am on my 4th battery (73,000 miles) of course the cup holders broke within a year I feel my transmission slipping

none.

poor trunk poor doors poor seatbelts poor gauges poor doors poor brakes poor everythig. This is the worst car I have ever owned

I bought my car in April of 2000, and I wish I had never bought it. I have had nothing but problems since I bought it. My heater has quit working 3 times, and I have had to have it replaced twice already. My front windshield cracked because of the heat, and when I took it to be replaced, I was told that when it was replaced the first time, it was not set right. My seatbelts dont work all the time, my trunk wont open half the time, and neither will my back doors. My temperature gauge has quit working, along with my speedometer, and my gas gauge. I only paid 7200 for my car, and I have put almost 5000 in it already, just in repairs. I can guarentee, I will never buy another ford, after dealing with all the problems with this ford.

Rev happy engine, great power for the money. Did I mention the great powerplant???:o) Nice looks. So far very good vehicle. However I will try to sell it next year and I'm looking into buying something sporty...96+ Cobra sounds good to me:o) Ok on gas - around 30mpg/highway.

Cup holders!!!! Do not use them. Performance oriented drivers need to upgrade road holding and brakes. When I raced my friend in his Firebird on empty streets with lots of acceleration and braking, I almost warped brake rotors.... Yeah and the front seats should've been made more comfortable.

I bought the car 4 months ago for 6,700 bucks including TTL. It had only 47,000 miles on it. So far I've put approx. 5,000 more miles. I think I got awesome deal, the car is loaded with every option including alloys, nice maroon color, windows tint, power mirrors/locks/windows....!!!! The car drives very well, you can feel the Duratec power especially if mated with 5-speed. Problems I've experienced so far: tranny cabel went out - $150, new battery - $100. Thats about it. Like I said the Duratec engine with 5-speed is very fun to drive. Pretty quick for a little car. I did smoke couple of supposely sport cars such as '91 V8 Formula /automatic/, 95 V6 'Stang /automatic/, Eclipses /no turbo or V6 models/, older Preludes and 2000+ Elantra /pretty quick for little 4-banger/. The car does 0-60 in just 7.7sec which is pretty good. For $250 you can get a chip and raise your hp numbers close to 185. Even stock I'm pretty sure I can give a good run to 96 Prelude Si and probably even beat it. My last advice: do NOT buy any car in COVERT FORD Austin. Don't get me wrong, my car is nice but the way they treat their customers....its a nightmare!

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'95 Mirage, 2000 Elantra...I drove lots of cars including 2002 SS/6-speed, 2002 GT/5-speed, 1997 Trans Am, 2001 DeVille, 1998 Millenia, 1995 BMW 328i...etc....

It's a bit of a "sleeper". I've smoked many cars supposedly faster than mine....(basically I think they just weren't paying attention when the light turned green.) Generally very reliable. Love the leather "racing" bucket seats. I'm buying a large SUV next week, but I'm keeping the Contour in case gas prices double for whatever reason, and I'd miss driving it if I traded it in.

Cup holders absolutely Suck !! They aren't big enough to hold almost anything. Why did they even bother putting them there? It has a lot of road noise that would've been easy to reduce with some additional soundproofing (spray-on stuff) on the undercarriage. It has almost no console storage space, mostly due to the parking brake being between the seats.

I have the SE with 2.5 liter V6. Bought it new. Mine was loaded with everything, hence the higher price. 75,000+ miles on it so far. Has not had to go to the shop anywhere near as many times as my 89 Taurus did. Always have/had excellent, professional treatment from service manager(s) at Ford dealer. An absolute scream to drive! What corners? My husband's Always holding onto the "O.S." handles. When this car came out, the tv ads for it should have said "Carpe Roadiem" (if you'll excuse the play with Latin). If you enjoy driving for the sheer pleasure of it and have a lead foot, this would be the car for you (if it was still available new).

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Previously owned cars: 1989 Taurus LX 1974 Gremlin (stop laughing !) Oddly, I had a Gremlin that gave me no trouble at all, ever !

Excellent handling, peppy 4 cylinder engine, good reliability, fuel economy (26-33 real-world MPG)

As other reviewers have said, Ford Service is the pits. Also, lots of road and engine noise, and the standard stereo and speakers are total cr@p

Looks like really mixed reviews - either people love this car or hate it. I bought this car (GL Sport 4 cyl/5 speed) new in 97 (had an 89 Escort with 200+K miles!) and just went through my maintenance log and noticed that I have spent less than $2500 on repairs and scheduled maintenance (including Mobil 1 oil changes every 4K miles, 2 sets of tires, and 2 break-ins and radio thefts). I have over 100K on the odometer, the original clutch and exhaust, and look forward to another 100K miles. The car is US built - I know some were made in Mexico - maybe this has something to do with the quality issues...

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Ford Escort (1989), Honda Accord (1994), Toyota Corolla (2000)