chose the car partly for the looks, we drove a mystic for a year and really liked it. Thought the contour was similar.

very underpowered four litre. Six months after purchase, the block heater blew an size hole in the motor. Took the dealer 8 weeks to drop a motor in. Took the car back to the dealer three times in two weeks for temperature gauge problems, transmission trouble. Had three recalls in six months. Air conditioner smokes when turned on, the steering column gets hot after driving for long periods. Had to have the brakes replaced for MVI, brake fluid leaked. Need to replace the rotors and only 70k. Not impressed with treatment at dealership. They had the car out for a test drive with a computer hooked up to it and told me that it was a great car. We haven't owned it for 1 year yet, and are trading it in for a Chevy Malibu.

Six months after purchasing the contour, the block heater blew an inch size hole in the motor. The dealership took 8 weeks to drop a motor in. Had to go back three times in less than a week for temperature gauge repairs, transmission problems. Had to have brakes replaced in order to pass MVI, brake fluid leaked. Car needs rotors after 70k(too soon for my liking) The air conditioner smokes when you turn it on. The steering column heats up and makes noise. There's an annoying squeak coming from the front end. The dealership had the car out for a test drive while hooked up to a computer, they tell me I have a excellent car, which is why I've traded it in for a Chevy Malibu. Very disappointed in Ford.

$13,000(CDN), and spent $1500. in 11 months
No would not recommend this car unless you don't need a reliable car. We've spent more time in the shop than on the road. I wouldn't trust this vehicle to take me 100 km away from the nearest service station.

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Ford Mystique, Ford Taurus

Powerful V-6 engine. Decent gas mileage.

problem after problem! Heater switch and stereo went out before 36,000 miles(luckily warrenty covered it). Driver's seat belt frayed and had to be replaced. Driver seat belt get's stuck when retracting after taking belt off. Rattle in the heater. Noisy pullies on engine belt. Seal whistles on driver side door with increased speeds. Air bag sensor problems. Rear doors need lubed constantly to prevent them from squeaking. Knob on heater control comes loose often.

This is a very nice looking car, but once we took the bait the hook certainly hurt. I have had nothing but problems with this car. The recalls are overwhelming and would not recommend this car to anyone. I believe that this is the last ford that I will purchase. Can't wait to go back to Chevy!

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94 Z24 Chevy Cavalier:The Z24 was faster, handled much better, had no problems with it. It did lack in room.

I must admit, this car is a blast to drive....However, the key is...."when it runs". I have had my SVT for almost 2 years and have invested so much money in repairs....its almost embarrasing. Not only does it break down on a regular basis, parts and labor are ridiculous. The engine design is so bad, that you have to take it in for the most minor repairs. But, it does have great power and handling. The luxuries are nice, such as leather and sunroof.

Where do I begin. I had it towed back to the dealership the day i bought it. The starter was a problem the entier first year. It would leave me stranded everywhere. I had it in at least 6 times....each time with a new problem that I had to pay for, since the extended warranty i purchased was useless. The clutch for one of these will run anywhere between 800-1300 dollars, all labor of course. My thermostadt has gone out 3 times in a year, taking the water pump out with it. Also, NOT COVERED under warranty. There are all sorts of electrical problems...lights seem to work when they want....same with cd player. The drivers seat moves back when you accelerate. The rear struts are SO loud, you would think you were riding on an olg spring mattress.

Like i have said...this was my dream car. It has been pampered, kept in the garage, waxed regularly, used mobile 1 every 3k. and STILL the biggest pile of POO i have ever owned. The problems far outway the benefits of this car. With the extra money I have put into it every month or so, I could have afforded something much nicer and more expensive. I am not sure if I would recomend this car to anyone. Mine may just be a lemon. But I would be sure to have it checked out thoroughly before buying one. I met a guy who used to work on them and told me some horror stories. He told me to get rid of mine ASAP... which is what i am in the process of doing. I am going back to Japanese. I can spank my sister's 98 prelude, but i guarantee that her car will last a LOT longer than mine!

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I loved the car when i bought it. I have had several sports cars, including a ford. I have never had so many problems. There is ALWAYS something wrong.

Good V6 engine, handling.

Quality is disappointing. Little rear room

1995 Mercury Mystique, V6.
Bought it used from the dealer in 1997. The car originally was looking good.
Then, problems started happen.
Already spent $2000 on the repairs. Few days ago, rear coil spring broke down. Have to spent another $600 to fix it (replacing both rear coils, etc). Car has about 80K miles on it.
Very unreliable car. Will Ford make reliable cars this class ever?

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Pontiac Sunfire. Looks more reliable.

Pickup, spacious, comfortable, economical.

Kinda ugly, little noisy, number of recalls is a little disconcerting.

Not a bad car. Handles very well, and it is comfortable. One minor mishap with the cupholders (people seem to focus on this too much IMHO). Surprising pickup for a 4 cyl. Styling pretty good for a Ford, which traditionally is the doggiest in the world. Had about 43K on it when I got it, now has about 80K, and haven't done much to it but oil and tires, other than the Mass Airflow Sensor. I like the stereo, but am not a purist. The engine noise is more audible than other cars, but I had been aware of that quirk before I bought it. Carpet has pulled away from the sides; they must have been trying to save on material and forgot about shrinkage. I would definitely advise having one checked out throughly by a certified mechanic before buying. Don't buy from Toyota of Roswell, and never use Certified Transmission for anything. You would do better with trained monkeys.

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It shares my garage with a 1990 Chevy Cavalier, and I like the handling features on the Contour (the Chevy is very basic with only A/C and cassette, and not very peppy), but I like the looks of the Cavalier.

Pickup (4-cylinder manual)

Maintenance expenses!!!

This car is a money-shredder. Bought it August '97 with 30,600 miles. Repair and maintenance averages more than $80 a month, compared to less than half that with my '86 Chevy Cavalier purchased in '89. Problems occur with this car that I've never heard of before and cost hundreds of dollars a pop for obscure parts no one ever seems to have in stock -- other than at a Ford dealership, which should be avoided at all costs.

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'86 Chevy Cavalier

frontseats,trunkspace,horsepower

tranny,electrical short,dashlights goes on and off,part and service for this car is way to much

saw the car at dealer look great drove great.but after a 5-6 months later. it got even worst .RPM would not work,lost first gear on tranny.got everything fix,two weeks later.it all went to hell again.iam ashame to say i had to get it done 4 times and it still does not work propely.from 1st to 2nd regardless how fast or slow you are going .the gears would shift so rough.and the funny thing about it there would be days or weeks go by and it would shift smooth as a baby bum.now my dash.abs,rad,traction,servicelight.it like xmas.i had the car service but it still comes on

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tercel,

None. Nothing about this car is best in class (unless there's an award for the biggest piece of chicken-fried crap on the road).

Anemic engine, poor gas mileage, and abyssmal reliability. Count on the Contour to leave you stranded or to suck up that extra cash you were trying to save. If you want a reliable car that gets good gas mileage, buy a Honda Civic. If you want hate life, buy a Contour.

This car is the epitome of the demise of the American work ethic. Pitiful fit and finish, appalling reliability, vandals in the guise of dealer mechanics, and a complete lack of concern at the corporate level all make owning a Contour such a wonderful experience (hey look, sarcasm!).

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None

The car looks good, it's safe, and the engine's got decent pull.

The build quality is crap.

I bought this car about 6 months ago. It had about 64,000 miles on it, and seemed in good condition. In 6 months, the following have gone wrong:

-carpeting has come up
-a vent has broken from normal use
-the gas door latch snapped
-the gas door cable snapped
-the engine will not keep running after a cold start
-the transmission does not like to downshift
-the front suspension has completely gone out, costing $900.

My Nissan never gave me any troubles. this car is built poorly, and repairs are expensive. If I were you, I would but a Nissan instead.

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1994 Nissan Sentra

Quick for a 4 door sedan, handles great, a nice sporty car that keeps insurance rates reasonable for an 18 year old male :-) manual trannie makes the car real fun to drive, nice pickup in all gears, great gas milage even when driving it hard.

interior noise over 65mph, lack of ABS (on my particular car)

I would recommend this car for a few main reasons. First off, it is a nice quick car that handles great. Second, being that it is a 4 door sedan, the insurance rates are good. Finally, I think that it looks quite good with the sport package on it. Overall, I would say its a real nice car for a younger person because of is power and it's interior room can hold 4-5 people.

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All my other vehicles were SUV's and Pickups