1996 Ford Contour GL review from North America
"I would not recommend buying a Ford Contour!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
When I purchased my Contour used in October of 2001, I noticed the transmission was slipping badly while accelerating east on the I-10 freeway in southern California. The used car dealership replaced the malfunctioning transmission with a "new" rebuilt one. Since then I've only experienced some sweating around the transmission seals and now a very slow leak. The transmission does sometimes shift hard though. In the past two and one-half years, I have had to replace three water pumps that have gone prematurely bad.
General comments?
The paint has not faded and has kept a nice shine for being an nine year old finish.
My Ford interior is in good repair and needs little attention except for routine vacuuming and dusting.
Recommended reviews
| 1996 - Contour GL 2.0L Zetec DOHC 16v Good handling car that's cheap to run, and a great gas sipping commuter car |
|
| Great road manners, great performance, expensive to maintain, and in the end, not worth repairing |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1996 |
| Year of manufacture | 1995 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 4 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 65000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 113550 miles |
| Previous car | Oldsmobile Delta 88 |
| Date of Entry | 13th September, 2004 |