It has nice speed when it is not in the shop...

It is always in the shop...

I have had nothing but problems with the check engine light as well as the engine coolent light. It has gone to mechanic after mechanic no one can figure it out. Not even the Ford dealers it is Sad ...It feel like I purchased a Money PIT!!!!!

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Owned a 95 Mercury Tracer never had a probelem great car as a 92 Tempo with no problems now relculant to buy ford..

Strong V-6 Good handling Low purchase and insurance costs Availability of 5-spd with 6 cylinder

Many minor problems

I have the V-6 with a 5 speed, and I''m amazed at how much more fun it is to drive than many high-priced performance cars. It''s not the main family car, so small back seat is fine. With alloys, H-rated tires, it looks pretty nice. But -- a big but -- there is a never-ending stream of minor problems. Nothing too big or expensive, but between recalls, emission problems (covered up to 50K miles), and the constant engine light going on, I''m looking at buying something else. But resale is low, and I''m having trouble finding anything in my budget that''s anywhere near as fun to drive.

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Good overall quality. Nice accceleration and handling for the V6.

Backseat small. Little problems like visors breaking off.

This is a great car. I got a great deal on it too. I''m from Canada and I paid 12500cnd in 1999. It only had 16000km! I am lucky enough to get the V6 verson. I test drove the 4cyl and it was too slow and engine noise was high. Right now it has 70000kms on it. It has been running really well. Acceleration is good and really fun to drive. We got a new brake job and that was about it. Although both sun visors broke off which cost 150cnd each. I''m really mad about that because this little clip broke, but the visors are fine. I asked the dealer if we could get new clips, but he said we would have to replace the whole thing, so I didn''t bother. Backseat is horrible. Really small unless you have small kids I guess it''s fine. I previously owned a K car and that had more backseat room. Trunk is genourous. Overall good car for the money, but little problems.

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K car.

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The car is constantly in the shop, if not for recalls it is in for repairs.

This car is nothing but a problem. We lost the transmission at 97 miles and it took over two weeks to repair. The car has had several recalls with some still waiting for parts to come so the car can be fixed. We had to put a complete set of rotors and replace the exhuast system at less than 23,000 miles. This week the alternator went out and we have taken the car back three days in a row to replace more blown fuses. There is a loud click by the shifter now every time the brake pedal is pressed. Battlefeild Ford says this is normal, all the Contours and Mystques do this. All I know it was not doing it before We had the alternator problem. Every time we have had repairs made to this car the service manager at Battlefeild Ford tells us we should count our blessings that we don''t own a 1995 Contour. The other comment that is frustrating is they just fix them they don''t build them.

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Good gas mileage. 28-30 mpg. Handles great. Good pick-up. Plenty of trunk space.

LOTS and LOTS of recalls. Pain to get them taken care of since this is my only vehicle.

I bought my 4 cyl, 5 speed Contour in 98 when it was only 3 years old. It''s fun and zippy. Engine wise, I''ve only replaced an oxygen sensor. I have put 50,000 miles on it in the last 4 years. Now at 80,000. Body wise, this car is an embarassment to Ford. Shortly after I bought the car, the rear seat belt buckles fell apart. The lense cover over one headlight just fell off. The head rest on the passenger seat is very loose. Both window cranks on the front broke. Most every time I open the back door, the weather stripping falls. The fuel door is tempermental. Sometimes have to open it by using release in the trunk. Ash tray in front and back fell apart. Heater switch quit working. (recalled)

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Good handling, powerful V6, sporty in a way

Girly looks, not a lot of power options, squeaky suspension

I am 17 years old and definitely not big on family cars, but this one is actually alright. It has the 24V DOHC 2.5L Duratec V-6 in it and picks up nice. However, I hate the torque curve in this car, it spikes at 4200 rpm and you can really feel it, feels like a turbocharger kicking in, too bad it can''t have that power above an idle. The car handles pretty good too. One thing I do hate are the cupholders, and also the squeaky suspension. The car only has 52000 miles so I haven''t seen anything scary yet. If you like these cars, check out the Contour SVT''s, they are really rare but super fast. The looks of this car are really girly, but it can definitely smoke 90% of the rice rockets out there.

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1993 Chevy Corsica, 1994 Ford Ranger, 1992 Ford Explorer, 1991 Dodge Stealth, 1998 Plymouth Breeze (DO NOT BUY!!!)

Size, performance, can be a fair deal if / when one can get a 1998+ model for (very) low bucks.

Cost, reputation - numerous recalls (for all models over the years), customer complaints, discontinuation, see text for others

I recently purchased a 1999, 4 cyl, SE not knowing Ford has discontinued the Contour. The discontinuation will undoubtedly cause used sale prices to drop so that when I''m ready to sell I may have to give this one away. Although I purchased an extended warranty, I''m still aprehensive after reading all the "numerous troubles" reviews. The vehicle is (for me) nicely sized, drives "like a sports car", gets terrific mileage, reasonably quiet and well appointedr. On the down side, the radio''s controls are difficult, power door locks have no manual feature, tire jack / arangement is dreadful (even on my garage floor jacking was difficult and unsteady), power steering is over-assisted, the mirrors are too small, split back seats are not standard (should be), others to be revealed - I''m sure.

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I''ve owned ~30 vehicles over my 40+ driving years including Pinto, Maverick, (two stinkos), EXP Fairmont(so-so).

Ride, Power, Handeling

Looks

This is the first ford i owned since a 1965 mustang 2+2 289 hypo in 73. It is the best American car made to date!! It is the closest thing to a BMW. I owned many Saabs but I must say is better and much cheaper!!! Ford has to be crazy to drop this product!!!

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Saab 9000 turbo, Saab 900 Turbo, BMW 318I

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This is a great car. I have 2 small children both have to ride in car seats. there is plenty of room in the backseat. The truck has a ton of space. I can get all my groceries in there plus my husbands golf clubs. I would totally recommend this car to anyone.

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Appearance, reliability, gas mileage, good road feel, stays aligned well, good power for a 4 cylinder.

Power window controls, interior lighting.

Overall very reliable. I bought it with 40,000 miles on it and have put 52,000 on with very few problems. The most serious was an engine sensor that cost a few hundred to repair, but that''s it over the course 50,000 miles.

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