1997 Ford Contour LX review from North America
"I'm lukewarm about this car, not in love"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Ignition Coil replaced.
Leaking oil from under timing cover.
General comments?
This car is "OK". It has enough power for anything you want to do. It's not very good in the corners though, primarily due to the weight of the motor in the front.
My check engine light comes on a lot with a "lean condition" - this usually happens in very slow traffic when I'm inching forward - I worriedly had it checked out the first two times - but the car doesn't show the symptoms of "lean condition" at the garage.
I learned how to reset the light for free - I got to highway on ramp, park safely off to the side, disconnect the battery for five minutes, reconnect the battery, and drive at a steady throttle on the highway for 10 miles so the computer can recalibrate itself with the correct fuel settings.
A Counter's computer should be re-calibrated like this EVERY TIME after losing battery power. I'm sure there's a LOT of Contour V-6 owners out there that don't know this detail.
Having owned my Contour for four years, I've come to the conclusion that the engineers of this car should only get a "C".
Recommended reviews
| Garbage - Major $$$ for repairs |
|
| 1996 - Contour GL Sport Zetec 2.0L DOHC 16v I-4 Extremely fine driving POS |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 31000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 58000 miles |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Blazer |
| Date of Entry | 8th August, 2004 |