Handling. Road feel. Rev-happy engine. Styling. Ergonomics and overall comfort. Bargain price. No torque-steer, which is unique in a car of this type.

No armrest. Stereo sucks. Shifter is a bit loose. Rotors warp every 20K mi despite my hand-torquing the lugs. There are a lot of TSB's and recalls for this car, but so far I've been happy with the relative tightness and build quality (except for the rotors).

The Maxima is frequently mentioned as a competitor for the SVT. While that car does offer greater interior room and more comfort features, the SVT is more of a sports car. Straight-line acceleration is comparable (in fact, the Maxima might be a little quicker), but overall, the SVT is the sports car of the two.

Honestly, the 3-series with the Sport package is the closest competitor. That car costs approximately $15K more than the SVT.

Thanks to Ford's marketing neglect, residuals on this car are low. A used one can be picked up for a song.

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Very favorable to the competition. Need to move up to a 3-series to get similar driving satisfaction.

Unique appearance, loaded - power everything, moonroof, 16" z rated alloys, leather, cruise, etc. Great engine rumble in the high RPMs. Excellent handling, great high end power, huge trunk. Euro-style sets it apart from any car on the road.

Disappointing low end torque, high speed cabin noise, "premium sound system" stinks, cramped back seat, poor resale value, cheap interior components.

Trying to find a similar overall automobile would require going with a BMW or Audi, which will cost at least $4k+. At this price, no car can really compare. It would be diffcult to find a V6, 200hp, 2.5 liter DOHC, leather, moonroof, power everything, keyless entry, 16" alloys with z-rated tires. 0-60 around 7 seconds. 1/4 mile 15.1-4.

Great value, but unfortuntely Frod dealerships have a bad reputation as well as problems with quality. The discontinuation of the Contour may further increase dealership and quality issues.

So far I am extremely happy with my purchase. Test drove many cars that were similar packages - Honda Accord V6, Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, Acura Integra, Chevy Monte Carlo SS, Mercury Cougar. While many of these cars were nice, they had one or two things I didn't like about them. As well as the fact that they were all $3,000 + more than the SVT Contour.

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97 Honda Accord EX. The Accord seemed to have more of a "qaulity" to the plastic components in the dash. Decent ride, but for the price, I prefer the SVT for it's power, "uniqueness", handling.

I have only been stranded five times.

I purchased my car with 41,000 and now it has 87,000. Those miles have been accumilated on the highway. To begin the recalls are deplorable. I had one two years ago and the dealer did not properly replace the parts. So I have a car with a leaking transmission that surges at take-off, the right front suspension assembly hanging by one bolt instead of three, and a cross treaded bolt that the engine will have to be replaced to remove it. The driver's window quit working, the air conditioner does not work, the premium sound system changes radio stations at will, and the brakes shudder when applying them, the water pump has been replaced twice, in four months, the electric fans quit working, the car continually over heats and no one knows why the check engine light is illuminated whenever I drive it. Futhermore, I have attempted to trade the car in guess what? After six months of ownership, the dealer offered me half of what I paid for it. Now I have to pay an additional $5,000 to break even. This car has been a great disappointment and financial burden.

I paid 13,000 for it in September 1997. I strongly advise against the purchase of this vechile. Look for something Ford actually stands behind ie. Ford Truck, Mustang or Taurus.

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Honda Accord, My mom's car and no problem ever. Have owned everything from a Citroen DS-21, Renault Le Car, Jaguar XJ6, (Excellent and never a problem), to a Mazdz 626.

Handling is great. Acceleration is good and it has been fairly reliable.

While power is good, its not great. I think the SVT version would be a lot more fun. Also, the interior feels a little cheap and it does have its occasional shakes and rattles.

I bought this car for 14$1,800 last year and I have really enjoyed it. I got the 5-speed because the 0-60 with an automatic is nearly 2 seconds slower. (not acceptable in my book). The handling is pretty fun and it is a tight car, but 0-60 is slower than it sounds due to the rather loud engine.

The trunk is really excellent and fits a TON of stuff.

I would reccomend this car without too much hesitation. My next car will be back to a sports car though.. perhaps an older NSX or new Prelude!

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Thunderbird SC - loved it.. fast!
Mustand GT - it was good, but not as fun as the T-bird.
Both cars are more fun than the Contour, but they dont have 4 doors :)

Looks, price, performance

back seat space is sort of cramped

Purchased the 2000 Contour Sport SE on January 23,2000. I traded a 1995 Contour GL for this car. I wanted a car with more power, so I opted for a Contour Sport SE. I Paid 18,500 for the 2000 Contour Sport SE. I like the way the car handles. It also looks nice. I am very satisfied with this car so far. I did not have any problems with my 1995 Contour GL. I bought it used in 1997 with 28,600 miles on the odometer. I would recommend this car.

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1988 Tempo, 1995 Contour GL

Terrific looks (most don't recognize it as a Contour),world-class engine, slick 5-speed, BMW level handling, decent ride & noise levels. Very reliable so far.

Sub-par body panel fit (when will US makers/ UAW learn?),small back seat, pretty cheap interior materials.

I echo most of Hank's comments below, except my early '98 has not had the reliability problems and fit and finish quirks he's experienced.
I purchased this car after reading very favorable comments in the auto press, and saw that there was really nothing else like it out there. I've not had such a responsive, tossable ride since my '86 RX-7!The paint is quite good, although the rest of the assembly leaves a lot to be desired.
Why, oh why did Ford design a largeish compact sedan with such a worthless rear seat? (see Hanks comments).
I cured 100% the harsh ride and road noise problems simply by buying Firestone SV-50 tires, size 225-50-16 (+1),these tires handle better, ride better, are much quieter, wear really well and look smashing to boot! They replaced Goodyear GS-C's that wore out at 22k miles. You can read reviews and purchase these tires at Tirerack.com. This one change made all the difference! It is now a great high speed intersate cruiser as well as a backroad carving knife.
This is truly a sports car with two vestigle back seats that fold down, and it has no peer at it's price point or category. My wifes new BMW 323i is beyond fabulous in every way, yet does not have the razor sharp reflexes as the SVT, and does not involve the driver in such a immediate mannner.
As Hank says, get one while you can, to be discontinued soon!

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Wife's 323i

Price, outside design

It's a Ford !!! The three dealers I've dealt with offer the worse service one could imagine.
Three of the four power windows went dead aroud 50,000 miles. Ford will not cover for it !
The engine is loud and the transmission feels flimsy (5 speed manual). All plastics are cheap and the only cup holder feels like it is going to break every time you open it.
The fuel trap cannot open from inside anymore, you need to open the trunk and unlatch from there !
The rear view mirror fell off twice.

I stongly recommend to stay away from that car !

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Mazda 626 - great car ! Night and day !

appearance, acceleration (although loud), handling, price

FORD DEALERSHIPS!!!!! Also, the loud engine. Reliability is questionable, especially after you hit 50,000 miles. A lot of features are poorly made (Ex: cupholders broke, AC vents broke, windshield washer pump broke) Bearings went bad quickly.

Price was the deciding factor for us in choosing this car - we paid $13,000 in 1997, when it had 8000 miles on it. It was the first American-made car we'd ever owned, and we're so sorely disappointed that we determined to stick with foreign models from now on. Reliability of this car has been terrible since we hit 50,000 miles. Also, the Ford dealerships are horrible. Due to failures in this car in the past month, we've been forced to deal with 3 of them in a 2 week period. I would not buy this car again, and would not recommend it.

Powerful engine, comfortable front seats (leather, resale value (if buying)

Rotors warped by 30000 km, small back seat, rear tires had to be replaced at 36000 km, resale value (if selling)

We bought this car used in March of 1999 with 23000 km on the odometer for $16500 CDN. For that price, we got a fully loaded LX with leather, A/C, power everything, remote entry and with the V6 (which still seems like a bargain to me).

With the 5 speed and the V6, this car is a blast. You won't be scaring any BMW 540s mind you, but the car is a match with most of the cars out there.

Compared to our 95 Mazda Protoge LX (1.8L 4 cyl.) the V6 Duratec is very torquey, and is much less fussy about what gear its in. The engine also has this delicious growl to it when pressed hard.

Handling is excellent for a North American vehicle. Cornering is especially impressive and I often sail through corners without touching the brakes.

Interior-wise, with the leather package, the car begins to feel like an entry level luxury sedan. I've had comments from several passengers about how nice the car is inside.

When we were shopping around for this car, we did test drive some others. We tried an Acura 1.6EL which was selling for $2000 more. Nice looks, nice leather interior but completely, utterly gutless and lots of road noise. Actually prefer our 95 Protoge to this car.

Grand Am had similar power but (and its a big but), the Grand Am had poor fit/finish, was noisy, didn't handle well, and the predicted reliability was much, much worse.

Reliability with our Contour has been quite good, as predicted by Consumer Reports for 97 Contours. The only problems in the last year have been that the rotors warped within 10 000km of owning the car, and the rear tires wore out.

The dealership did machine the rotors free of charge, but the problem resurfaced soon after.

The dealership told me that accelerated rear tire wear is common on Contours with the low-profile tires.

Speaking of the dealership, our experience with Kanata Ford has been has been nothing but excellent. The service is quick and curteous, and they have never hassled me about fixing stuff under warranty.

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Acura 1.6EL; Grand Am

decent accelertion - V6, nice handling, reliability OK, price, exterior body quality appears to be sound with a smooth design. Automatic is good, but manual is recommended.

Reliability has been OK but due to recalls and some stalling prolems, I wonder how this car will hold out over the years. I always found domestic models to have such poor QC.I am afraid this car might suffer from the same. But for what you get at the price you pay, compared to similar GM and Chrysler models, I would buy this one again. Reports show that reliabilty is better than the other domestics - marginally!

Purchased in Oct '98 a 1998 model made in Nov '97 with V6 Sports package - 30,000 KM - $15,500 Cnd. Dealer was asking for $17,900 Cnd.

I would recommend this car for someone looking for a decent sport sedan with a modest kick and at best average reliability. It really is fun to drive! With an extended warranty owners should be OK.

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Chev Cavelier - V6's had similar performance, but the Chev was dismally unreliable.