good performance,good looks,a more modern car from ford

terrible reliability,unheard of prices for parts,cheaply built,brakes don't last,carpet is junk,trim is junk,tons if recalls.

FORD IS SLIPPING!

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compares with all other over priced pieces of junk on the road

Power, Handling, Looks, Exclusivity.

REPUTATION!!!, Cup Holders, not much else.

I feel so sorry for all those people with shi-tay cars... Especially the 1995 models seem to be all lemons. I on the other hand have had nothing ever go wrong with my car and I love the thing. Everything that needed replacement has been done so promptly and with my ESP. The service guys at the local Ford dealer has said crappy things about regular Contours but has been astounded by my car. I don't know maybe my car really was "Special".. I do have to agree with most people though about Ford Service Centers - Had plenty of problems with Yankee Ford in Portland. The Service manager even told me in front of his crew that I was lying to him about a problem with my car that they caused. But lucky for me the technician that had worked on my car spoke up and said that he was wrong and that they had screwed up my car. Other than service issues associated with Yankee Ford my car has been an absolute pleasure to own.

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1992 Volkswagen Golf GTi 16V, 1995 V8 Thunderbird. Volkswagen was a nightmare. Thunderbird wasn't bad...

Power, Handling, Looks, Exclusivity.

REPUTATION!!!, Cup Holders, not much else.

I feel so sorry for all those people with shi-tay cars... Especially the 1995 models seem to be all lemons. I on the other hand have had nothing ever go wrong with my car and I love the thing. Everything that needed replacement has been done so promptly and with my ESP. The service guys at the local Ford dealer has said crappy things about regular Contours but has been astounded by my car. I don't know maybe my car really was "Special".. I do have to agree with most people though about Ford Service Centers - Had plenty of problems with Yankee Ford in Portland. The Service manager even told me in front of his crew that I was lying to him about a problem with my car that they caused. But lucky for me the technician that had worked on my car spoke up and said that he was wrong and that they had screwed up my car. Other than service issues associated with Yankee Ford my car has been an absolute pleasure to own.

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1992 Volkswagen Golf GTi 16V, 1995 V8 Thunderbird. Volkswagen was a nightmare. Thunderbird wasn't bad...

fast, small, attractive, good handling, great engine sound

had to get a check engine light problem fixed and the ford repair people are idiots

excellent overall car

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much better than many cars i have ever seen as far as price for power and fun

Great engine. Loves to rev. Who cares about the radio,Ilove to listen to the engine and pipes. Four Doors. Great handling. Very fun to drive.

Road noise. Front air dam is too low. Dash warped in the heat and must be replaced. Needs more useful back seat; but ok for short trips. Sound system is only average with radio, CD, and no tape deck.

Overhead console was replaced in the first week, and now the dash has warped due to heat (70's outside). Dealer ordered a new dash.

You have to be very careful driving the SVT due to the ground effects. Any large object in the road or large pothole and you have had it.

Overall I have really enjoyed the car. It is very tight and fun to drive. The interior is nicely appointed with a nice moon roof.

This little car loves to RUN! I call it point and shoot. So far I have experienced very good dealer support.

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I traded a large SUV for it -- go figure.

The appearance and performance were the primary attrations.

Like many, recalls. This was the first model year and like all other manufacturers, there are are always problems/risks for that first year...that the problems persist (and grow) in succeeding model years is far less acceptable.

While I've had my share of problems and issues, including with dealers doing repairs, the pricing still made it an attractive buy. Additionally, the car is just plain fun to drive with a performance feel usually associated with much more expensive vehicles.

The weakness is that the quality control/cheap plastic parts used to make that cost lower. Some vehicles are/were better than others. Many have complained of extremely dangerous failures while others have none. It all comes down to quality control and reflects mainly on the manufacturer.

Next, the majority to the more vehement complaints above really strike me as maintenance issues - possibly by previous owners. I mean please, tires are meant to be worn. Some complaints, like vibrations at highway speeds are problems with the car per-se, but usually with either the frame/alignment/tires/rim. And what causes them? In order - Prior Damage/Prior Damage/Prior Damage/Prior Damage. See the pattern?

I would not recommend that a technical neophyte purchase this car used. I would recommend, like hundreds of other sources already do, to research the purchase thorougly, hire mechanics to inspect and look it over with a fine tooth comb for evidence of anything from prior collisions to funny stains on the tie-rods.

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Poor man's BMW

Handling, comfort (front seat only) economy, power AND .... hate to say it .... reliability.

Body rattles, doors don't work well ... not crazy about dealing with FORD ...back seat useless ... noisy at speed ... resale value.

After seeing all the flack accumulated by these cars on this site I feel a little defensive .... but really, it's been a great car and (everything considered) virtually trouble free

Bought it to replace a 89 SHO .... now THAT car was a disaster ... and before that two SAABS which were good but expensive to maintain. Bought it new with almost every available option ... traction control, sun roof, leather etc. Loved the SAAB turbo but gotta say that this car is superior in almost every way .... comfort, snow traction, handlng, ergonomics .... and except for that great turbo rush ....acceleration.

Have had the car since new .....with the exception of a recall disagreement (re rear brakes and parking brake sticking in the cold) with Ford (on which FORD managed to screw me royally) after the car was JUST out of warrantee .... and various inconvenient but zero $$ recalls over the years I HAVE DONE NOTHING TO THIS CAR IN 100K + miles save oil changes .... and now just recently I have replaced the battery and the water pump (see note below) . By nothing I mean not even spark plugs. That said, the check engine light HAS been on for nearly two years .... after having had a FORD dealership tell me it needed $800 of new catalytic converters (and they just HAPPENED to have an open time slot to do the work) I decided to let it go and see what happened ... nothing so far .... and subsequent computer code disgnosis suggests that it could be a lot of other things besides the cats. There is some catch up maintanence that needs doing it before I sell it .... but I still call that fairly inexpensive transportation ..... as long as you don't figure in the depreciation which I figure works out as a tax counterbalanced by the amount of enjoyment I've had driving it.

I suppose the bottom line here is that I've just purchased another ... newer ... Contour Sport and am keeping my fingers crossed for additional trouble free driving.

(Note on the waterpump issue: Internet prowling disclosed a repeated problem with duratech waterpumps going out and by virtue of the resultant overheating TAKING THE ENGINE WITH THEM ! .... in over 50% of the incidents. Fortunately this apparently was not the case with ours .... but it is a frightening prospect ... one contributor suggested changing the pump in the 70K range as a preventative measure ... beats replacing the motor!)

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Taurus SHO, SAAB Turbo and 900 / see below

quick for a 4 banger, looks good, somewhat comfortable

back doors squeek, seatbelts do not retract, ver very bad headlights, stereo sucks(put in my own), tires wear inevenly and extremely fast, loud when it is cold out, trunk leaks, i have had the water pump fixed five times (mechanic i sent it to is reputable, a mistory leak), engine light is allways on, carpet on floorboards is garbage, revs extremely high at 70 mph and up, no back seat room whatsoever,

i really like the car and wish it didnt have so many problems, but overall i would not sugest buying this car unless you are going to keep it for a short time (2-4 years)

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first car owned, however parents have had sveral fords none to which have been as big as a problem

Great handling, price (I bought it for cheap), powerful, tons of high-end power...

Poor quality - it's leaking oil, front wheel bearings were replaced, parking brake lever on the left rear brake caliper is not working, cold-shift problem... not terribly expensive, but somewhat annoying.

This is just sort of a follow up since I read so much BS with poor quality below! I can't believe people are complaining about tires are worn!!!! WTF is with that?!?!?!?! Maybe they should think about what kind of tires they got before b!tching about it! If you buy those $99 Pep-Boys special, you're not going to get much mileage off those tires. The Contour is hit or miss, but it's not as bad as those people think. I'm unfortunate and bought the miss, but I still do not see it as annoying as those people below b!tch about.

Next thing you'll see is probably people complaining about having to put gas in the car because the car doesn't have a 100gallon tank!

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I don't think something with the similar performance can be found at $4k! And please don't tell me a Honda Civic have similar performance!

Ummmm.......It is such a pretty color green

Well, lets see.....I bought the car in late '98....since owning it I have gone through 4 sets of tires, the pewer windows jam and won't come all the way down at times, Transmission has now gone out at 55,000 miles, locks freeze up in 30 degree weather, back doors squeak (not enough lubrication), front passenger seat is hard to move up or back, one cup holder(the other one is an ashtray holder?????) engine rattles, hard to get to transmission fluid stick as well as the motor oil stick, headlights dim when defrosters are turned on, speakers are terrible,when transmission worked...the shifter was hard to move, have replaced the rotors twice(lots of break dust), ALB do not seem to always work, both front seatbelts do not retract when taken off, steering wheel covering started to wear away after owning for less than 3 months, had to put break fluid in after 1 month of owning...since then, had to put it in ever 5000 miles or so. The carpeting is coming away from the floor board.

Please....do not purchase a contour.......It will be the worst decision of your life. I still owe a lot of money on this car and I cannot trade it in due to the negative equity. I have to shell out 2500 dollars to get a new transmission....so instead I bought a VW jetta for $700 and I am letting the contour sit. This was the worst decision I ever made. Do not trust any Ford dealers...they will rip you off. The best decision would be anything foreign...or at least anything not made by Ford Motors.

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1980 Toyota corolla wagon, 1992 geo prizm....both of theses cars had over 200,000 miles on them when they were gotten rid of. The wagon, I purchased for $600 dollars in 1992. I drove it for 2 years then gave it to my aunt, she drove it with minimal problems for 2 years then gave it to my brother, he drove it for 4 years then traded it in for a new car....it still ran good with NO big problems!!!! I owned the Prizm for 5 years....the transmission finally went out of it in late '98. I had put over 150,000 miles on the car, wrecked it(had it rebuilt), drove it some more, and had to replace the tires twice. You tell me....how do either of the cars compare to the crap we call a ford contour?