1998 Ford Contour SE review from North America
"Costs too much to keep on the road"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Water pump went out at 26,000 miles.
AC compressor locked up at 50,000 miles, snapped the belt which in turn ripped into one of the CV boots.
Motor mount broke (can you believe that?) at 60,000 miles and caused power steering hose to snap.
Had to replace window motor, latches, cables, etc. in drivers door and needed new wheel bearings at 65,000 miles.
At 95,000 miles the timing belt broke, leaving me stranded once again, and cost $400 to fix.
Other "minor" fixes such as new rotors twice, new fan blower, numerous recalls. This car also lets in a lot of dust (the trunk is full of it) and road noise, and the speakers short out often.
General comments?
This car starts up without fail (except for the timing belt problem), but the rest of the car is crap.
I'm getting a lot of sympathy from the people at the Ford Service Center, but what I'd really like is to not spend more on repairs than the monthly car payment.
Now, the transmission is "slipping" which probably means another big bill for me.
Think I'll get rid of it once and for all. If I didn't need the trade-in I would love to push it off a cliff and watch it explode.
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|
| Evil |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 4 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 3 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 26000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 0 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Tempo |
| Date of Entry | 22nd May, 2002 |