very little

everything. i've replaced the O2 sensor twice. engine is very loud in the cold. wipers are possessed - go crazy in the cold even when they are in the off position. blower switch burnt out. headlight switch broke. driver's side power window has broken twice. cup holders are crap - break easily. carpet comes out near the doors. ford dealers suck - are far from helpful; they seem to be annoyed with me for their car sucking.

do not buy this car - or any other ford car for that matter.

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Handling- Very nice grip, stability, balance, and predictabilty
Engine- strong for a 2.5, great sound!
Brakes- strong again
Well equipped
Cheaper to buy and insure than similar vintage VTEC Honda or VR6-engined VW
Front Wheel drive, good for snowy climates.

SVT or no, its still a Ford, and you still have to deal with a Ford dealer, at least while its under warranty.-
Build quality feels a little suspect.
Front wheel drive, not as much fun everywhere else.
Another 500cc would be great!

This is one fun car. Wonderful antidote to the SUV jungle that is the greater boston area.
Back seat is a joke for a sedan of even this small size- not a big deal for me so I left it out of the weaknesses section. The B.F. Goodrich KDW's grip great in the dry, but are loud, and are below average in the snow. (I left this out of the weakness section- you can always switch tires.)

The Local Ford dealer, like others, has yet to wow me with their competence. But they were reasonably pleasant, and pesistant, so I'll withhold final judgement, for now.

Final Judgement:
Not quite the A4 or 3 series fighter Ford would like you to believe it is, but a viable domestic alternative to a GTI or Integra.

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92 Taurus SHO 5spd - Think of it as a SHO that also handles and stops. The engine (while great sounding) is a little lacking (low end, midrange and top end!) when compared to the SHO but the suspension and brakes more than make up for it.

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Being the car that my parents chose to purchase my for attending college, I have no complaints! I love everything that there is about this car, although sometimes there is a tendency for noise to escape fom somewhere (I haven't been able to figure that out yet). But being that I am not that familiar with other cars and I am now beginning to be more involved with vechiles, I'm personally pleased, and I would recommend this car for any college student that just need transportation!

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the car has a lot of get up and go for an american four cylinder engine. I am overall very satisfied by the smoothness of the ride when you are going around 120 miles per hour (which is the top end for the four cylinder).

The worst part about the car is the transmission. The darn thing does not want to shift unless the revs are too high or too low... it only shifts smoothly when it is at one of the extremes

I love this car.... I am in high school and it does everything i could want plus more. It id really good with gas mileagel, has a lot of pep, and mine has a tuned German engine in it. The handling also kicks a$$. i have taken turns at around 45 miles per hour in it and it still comes out of the turn nice and clean

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I can turn it on a dime. I like the sporty rims that came with it. It is eye appealing. I like its curves. Never buy a car because of its looks!

It's straight up junk! I wouldn't buy another Ford if my life depended upon it. I've had the tensioner belt pulley replaced and now something is wrong with the heater blower switch. It does not idle properly in the cold weather. Something is going wrong with the brakes. Sometimes when I step on the brakes quickly, I hear a spring or something going (boing). The carpet is pulling away from the doors. What is up with all the rust under the seat on the seat tracks? I've checked it out --never been in a flood.
I tried to trade it in where I bought it. They laughed at me.

I think the U.S. auto industry needs to take lessons from the Japanese. And, they wonder why their cars are not selling!

The car is junk. I am only now beginning my long road of being nickled and dimed by this Found On Road Dead. Yes, it looks cool. Yes, it has tight stearing. Yes, the seats are comfy. No...it will never give you the quality or assurance of few trips to the mechanic that a Toyota will give you. In my toyotas, you changed the oil and you were good to go. This bomber has to be pampered every inch of the way. Stay clear of FORDS!

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I've owned a '92 and '94 Toyota Corolla. Loved them! I wasn't as impressed with the '98+ model, however. I would now openly embrace one with all my being.

Good strong allover design. Fair amount of power from the 2.0l engine. Super gas mileage.

Work room in the engine compartment could be larger. Radio could be easier to replace as the speakers. When the car does have problems, they are major pains to solve. Parts needed to repair the car could be cheaper.

I recommend the contour to anyone in school, or needs a sound ride to work and back.

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Chevy truck (Ford all around better)

Pretty car just don't expect to drive it

Where to begin--let's start with the O2 sensor and four replacements later it is still not working. The check engine light is constantly on--Ford mechanic suggested we put a piece of electrical tape over it if the light bothered us. Catalytic converter replaced twice. Brakes go out exceedingly fast. Had two full tune ups before the 100K mark which they advertised. Transmission went out and we had ford replace it and guess what in 8 months it has only been in the shop 5 times for shifting problems. Drive shaft, problems, you name it we've had them Fix Or Repair Daily--yep that fits this car to a tee. Also the Found On Road Dead. The first time the catalytic converter went out was very early on a Saturday morning on the interstate in the middle of no-where I was alone with my then 3 year old son.

I wouldn't recommend this car to my worst enemy. I think ford executives should be punished and forced to drive this car. I have been stranded too many times with this car. Ford was unresponsive to the number of complaints. Dealership service was miserable. Too many repairs, too many recalls, too much money spent repairing this car. The only good thing is that it did look good sitting in my driveway--made people always think we were home but it was way too much money to spend on a car to just have it sit. Resale value is miserable--we ate $3000 just to escape from the car. In one year--not counting the recalls or regular wear on the vehicle we spend over $4000 on repairs and it still wasn't a reliable vehicle.

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I used the Ford Escort--escort had no where near the problems. Nissan Sentra--again no problems. 10 year old toyota Corolla--over 200K miles and no where near the problems.

0 Nada Nothing I hate this car with a passion.

The rubber around the windows won't stay in place. The car doesn't idle correctly. The A/C won't work. The car dies any time the heater is turned on. Had to have the crank shaft replaced. The timing belt has broken twice. The car eats brake rotors.

Please, please, please don't buy this car. Buying this car is one of the worst mistakes of my entire life. I regret it every day that I have to get in the car. I have owned two other Ford products: Tempo and Probe. Both were relatively good cars, especially the Probe (I traded it in with 170,000 miles for the Contour). Don't count on talking to Ford about the problems with this vehicle. They will laugh at you. The joke is on you when you buy this car. Ford takes your money, gives you a crappy product, and then tells you to kiss their *!#.

Look at a Nissan or Honda. You may pay a little more, but you get a better product.

Good Luck!

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Sunfire. My Sunfire is trouble free. It has been an outstanding car. The Contour has nearly forced me into bankruptcy.

decent passing power

Build quality is pathetic, poor fitment, wheels discoloring, dash rattles like heck, plaqued with electrical issues, frt & rear suspension creaks-knocks. Vibrations, pulling, plaqued with brake problems. Dealerships are terrible (I even work in one for almost 8 years), they can't fix s**t. Biggest piece of crap I've ever owned.

For the first 100 miles it was an absolutely awesome car. After that things went downhill fast and not one single problem I've had with this car has been totally repaired or even adequately repaired. Tires suck, suspension knocks and moans over the slighest bumps, vibratate and pulls horribly on the highway, all dash warning lights come on and go off, headlights go dim at idle, dash rattles enough to entertain an infant. Seat belts wearing holes in the seat covers. Harsh and erratic trans shifting even under light acceleration. Spark knocks under light loads on highway. Terrible gas mileage for a 2.5L even if it is a V-6. Worse than my V-8 Chev at work. Can't recommend this car under any circumstances.

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Mazda 626LX, Toyota's, Chevrolets, enough to know this car is crap.

Handling, Braking, Acceleration, Cool Exhaust Note, All Aspects of
Performance, Value.

Ugly interior color, mediocre workmanship, rear bumper cover droop, who designed this cupholder?

I was suitably impressed with my 95 Contour that I bought a slightly used
98.5 Contour SVT for just under $16K. What a great car for the price!
The vehicle accelerates, handles like and drives like no other in its
price range, let alone at a discounted price. The exhaust is tuned to
sound more like a rumbling V-8. When I rev the engine to over 4k rpm, the
cam really comes on and the car really scoots. It is faster than my A4
and feels more athletic too. However, the SVT is not as well finished as
my A4. The fit of interior pieces is poor compared to the A4. Not only
that, all Contours suffer from rear bumper cover drooping due to cost
cutting in its design. I've contacted FoMoCo and they claim it's just due
to normal wear and thus not covered under the warranty. Also, what's with
the ugly midnite purple interior? It's a color appropriate for the Artist
formally known as Prince and not much else. Not only that, the cupholder
is a joke. It will hurl up all beverages for those adventurous enough to
use it. The execution of the affordable sports sedan concept can be
better but mostly likely with a much higher price. (The A4 costs $33.7k)

All in all, SVT is a fine driver's car, if a little rough around the edges.
Many have compared it favorably with German sports sedan. I find it better
at sports than my A4 and is sorry to see it discontinued.

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'99 Audi A4 Quattro, '95 Contour GL