1998 Ford Contour SE review from North America
"We are kicking ourselves for trying to cut corners by buying a cheaper domestic car - never again"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
There have been 9 recalls on this car to this point.
The floater in the fuel tank doesn't work properly, meaning it registers full even when the tank is empty and you can't put gas in the car.
The transmission crashed at 77,000 kilometers and the shop I took it to said "everything that could be wrong was wrong" with it.
The rear defroster stopped working.
The tires were bald at 50,000 kilometers.
The steering wheel leather is chipping and flaking off.
General comments?
Most of the repairs have been inconvenient, but relatively inexpensive.
The main problem with this car is that the transmission gave out completely with only 77,000 kilometers on the car. Supposedly, there are lots of problems with the Contour transmission.
Repairs at 3 different shops were estimated at more than C$4000. The dealership offered no assistance or suggestions at all.
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| 1997 - Contour GL 2.0 liter twin cam 4 cylinder I can't say its good, or that it's horribly bad, but that it's just OK to own, Pretty, but pricey |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 4 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 2 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 30500 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 77000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Pontiac Sunfire |
| Date of Entry | 25th October, 2001 |