Would have to be improved just to suck!

Not enough time or space on this board to list them all!

I have been a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury technician for many years. This piece of junk is a total embarassment to bear the Ford logo. It is poorly engineered, poorly constructed, expensive to repair, and a general pain in the ass to work on! I'm glad its been discontinued and am truly sorry for anyone who owns one. If you are considering purchasing one of these vehicles, don't!!! Warning! They still build the Cougar which is the exact copy of the Contour/Mistake! Don't buy it either!

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Would rather ride a go-ped!

Would have to be improved just to suck!

Not enough time or space on this board to list them all!

I have been a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury technician for many years. This piece of junk is a total embarassment to bear the Ford logo. It is poorly engineered, poorly constructed, expensive to repair, and a general pain in the ass to work on! I'm glad its been discontinued and am truly sorry for anyone who owns one. If you are considering purchasing one of these vehicles, don't!!! Warning! They still build the Cougar which is the exact copy of the Contour/Mistake! Don't buy it either!

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Would rather ride a go-ped!

Best bang for the buck sports sedan.Engine loves to rev.Excellent brakes.Great canyon carver.Super touring car image.Form fitting seats.Rare find.

Cup holders suck!Had water leaks in front doors.Factory sound system weak .Headlights could be brighter.Odd cabin creaks.No low end torque.Poor aftermarket.Ford service is horrible.

Awesome car for the dollar.Unique .

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89'& 94' Muastang GT .Very different vehicles

It's faster than walking, but not by much. Walking, however, is far cheaper and more reliable.

The list of weaknesses is extensive, so bear with me. I'm going to try (REALLY hard) not to let my personal feelings influence this, but I don't know if that's possible.

I bought this car used with 28,000 miles on it. It had the balance of the original warrenty on it, and I bought an extended warrenty. Three days after I took delivery of the car, I brought it back to the dealer for poor ride quality at highway speeds. The cost of fixing the problems the dealership found was about $320, and all were "maintenance" issues (which means my expensive warrenty did not cover it). A couple of days later, I returned to the dealership to return the car. After telling me that the car was mine regardless of what was wrong and basically threatening me with financial ruin, the sales manager decided to fix the problems for free. It was at this point, one week into the car, that I began to realize what a mistake buying the Contour was.

Every three months I spend at least the equivalent of another car payment in repairs. Sometimes I could go four or five months with just routine maintenance, but when something finally did break, it would be much more expensive.

I take very good care of the Contour, and don't drive it hard by any means, yet problems consistently arise. Squeaky belts, bad struts, bad brakes, rough idle, overheating, bad A/C compressor, dangerously weak headlights, water accumulation in the tail lights that burns out the bulbs, pitiful interior build quality, erratic electrical components, absolutely no low-end power whatsoever, and disappointing gas mileage are some of the major recurring headaches with this car. When driving through puddles the serpentine belt would get wet. This would make the belt slip, causing the battery light to come on and my power steering to go out (this one almost killed me), and then the wiring harness went bad (the housing rotted off leaving the wires exposed). Keeping this car running cost a fortune, and just finding out what was wrong cost almost a hundred bucks (diagnostic - $80). I was (and am) afraid that this car will leave me stranded somewhere.

The latest and greatest issue with the Contour was born when a dealership mechanic told me that I needed a new engine (cost to our hero - $4,000 not including labor). After a second opinion with an independant mechanic, it was agreed that the Contour needed a new engine. Bad bearings and weak oil pressure (oil pump) were the culprits. The Contour has 84,000 miles on it. Kelly Blue Book was around $3000 (before the engine thing), and I owed $3600. As a result of needing a new engine, the Contour is basically worth nothing.

Now for the personal part. Buying this car has been the worst decision I have EVER made in my life. This car has held me financially hostage ever since I bought it because I can't afford to do what I want AND fix the major issues that crop up every couple of months. This piece of crap has set my life back five years. I don't like feeling stupid or getting "taken", but every time I drive this car that's how I feel. I was lied to, used, put off, ignored, condescended to and gouged by three different Ford dealerships in the Tampa area. I called Ford corporate twice to complain, and while sympathetic, nothing concrete came out of it. I could almost feel them pat my head at the end of the phone calls.

Buy the Contour at your own risk. The fact that some people have had no problems with the Contour and some (like myself) have had nothing but problems is a big warning sign. My guess is that Contours built at certain factories or during certain periods of time have radically different build qualities. Granted, I bought the first model year of the Contour, and I bought it used. I will never do either again.

If you buy a Contour, you have to ask yourself - "Do I feel lucky?" Unfortunately, I wasn't.

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I think the EggWave is the only thing that compares to the Contour in both power and build quality.

great value, great performance,roomy,AMAZING ON GAS,everything you need in a car and lots more

too many recalls, could use more rear leg room

its an excellent buy for the money, there is nothing spectacular but it is a good performing, long lasting, fun to drive, ford.

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nissan altima,honda accord, chevy malibu,

Sporty car

Catches on fire and melts to the ground... My car was a 98 SVT with less than 30,000 miles. Just last week, I drove approx. 7 miles to work. By the time I pulled into the parking lot, smoke was pouring out from under my hood. By the time that I got out of the car and called 911 there were flames shooting out from under the hood. By the time the fire dept. arrived, my car had completely burned and is considered totaled. (Approx. 15 minutes) The fire Marshall said that it was an extremely HOT fire that was due to an electrical problem. (one of the many, many recalls!!) My car was already in the Ford shop for over 1 month just trying to fix this recall and I was told that it was taken care of. Now, Ford has told me they will not do anything about it and that they are "wiping their hands clean of the situation". Exact words.
Not only that, but my car was just in their shop approx. 2 months before it exploded to have everything checked and changed!

Please do not buy a Ford Contour SVT!! Too many recalls, too much money, and they like to explode on you! Not to mention, Ford Motor Company has been no help and actually very rude about the whole situation. No one will help me and I don't know where else to turn. I do not wish this situation upon anyone else.

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1995 Ford Mustang - Does not compare!

Wonderful V-6 Engine, Tight Steering, Quiet on the Highway, Beautiful Exterior w/Spoiler and Foglights

Transmission seems to be a little noisy (whine) and occasionally shifts roughly, some isolated rattles that are hard to track down, the seatbelts don't like to retract when you get out, and are too short for hefty people like me.

I think I probably found one of the last brand new 2000 Contours in existence, and was thrilled that I got it for only a little over 15K when the sticker was almost 19K. Obviously the dealer wanted to move it. I have only had it for a few months now, and so far no problems. I drive a lot of highway miles, so I'm hoping its reliability will hold up, and I'm also hoping that some of these other reviews are for lemons, and not typical Contours.

I'm a big guy, so it is a snug fit, especially the seat belts. Since seat belts are designed to lock in a crash, why do they have to make them so short? I even have an extender, but still have to grunt to get the thing buckled, and then it doesn't want to retract afterwards - that's really annoying. I've got some isolated rattles, but when on a smooth road, it is quiet and smooth-riding. I love the Engine - lots of get up and go, although the transmission doesn't always shift smoothly.

I would recommend this car for people like me who do a lot of commuting and need the space of a 4-door, with fuel mileage that is decent, and good power. My Escorts were very reliable, so I'm confident the Contour will be also. I'm young and single, but it seems to me that families would probably enjoy the Contour also, unless there's more than 4 of them. The rear is tight for adults, but fine for kids.

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Chevy Cavalier, Ford Escort, GrandAm - All great cars except the GrandAm, what a piece of junk that was. My Cavalier was very reliable, as were my Escorts, I hope the Contour is the same

Don't know yet and I work at Ford. Car has good ride and handling but too many recalls. Just got one yesterday on the engine fan bearings. Whats next?

Recalls.........lots of them!

Had to replace the battery three times, had to replace the alternator twice, had to replace water pump right after the warranty went out. The windshield wipers come on whenever they want to when the switch is off.
The transmission just went out and it's going to cost me $2500 to get it fixed. The blower motor has a mind of it's own, comes on when it wants to and if you cut it on it will not work. Have a load noise coming from the front right side of the engine that nobody can tell what it is. DON'T BUY THIS CAR!!!! I work for Ford and hate this car!!!!

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Wish I had bought anything else, maybe a small truck. Would somebody please steal this car from me!

Gas mileage, heater and air conditioner warm and cool quickly

Loud engine noise, anti-lock brakes

This car has been an expensive problem. I neede a new transmission at 54,000 miles (conveniently after the warranty expired). The clock light went out after a few months. The anti-lock brakes never seem to stop when I want them to and when they finally do stop, it's after a good deal of noise that sounds as if the engine is falling out. One of the radio speakers only seems to work if I drive through a pothole. I had a problem with opening the gas tank and had it repaired several times. The cup holders are too small and if you put a larger drink in them, it will tip over onto the passenger seat. I just had to replace the alternator and battery and it was very expensive. The car is terrible in snow conditions. Unlike alot of other reviews, the Ford Service Center where I take my car has given me very good service. I would like to unload this car as soon as possible and get something that I feel more confident with, but the trade-in value is pretty horrible. I would not recomend this car.

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Nissan Sentra

Reasonably fast & sporty, does not attract highway patrol or thieves. Has good features, including:
1) powerful engine
2) 4-wheel disk brakes with ABS, all-speed traction control
3) 1-micron air filter is a nice feature

Everything related to the fuel system:
1) no low-gas warning light
2) gas tank too small for V6, has <300miles range
3) gas door won't open remotely except in cold/wet weather, must use emergency cord in trunk most of the time
4) pipe going to tank must be too small - most gas pumps click off prematurely

Other problems:
5) fan belt motor burned up while I was driving, luckily not at high speed
6) both oil and coolant sensors failed (intermittent false positive)
7) original tires (Firestone) wore out prematurely
8) premium sound speaker blew, CD player failed

After years of use, I still like this car. Mine says "Proudly made in Kansas City" - maybe it is better made than ones made at other locations. I wish Ford had made this car a little higher quality. The problems with the gas tank system are very annoying!

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