1998 Ford Contour SVT review from North America
"Found On Road Dead comes to mind"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The second day I owned this car the water pump blew (plastic impeller broke, common problem with Contours) and in turn the thermostat, head gasket, and head all blew, leaving me with a smoking, steaming mess of a car. Under the Virginia 'Lemon Law' I was able to get all the repairs done for free, only to have the new water pump break within 200 miles. Then the air conditioner died, then the new thermostat blew, once again leaving me with a steaming, overheated mess. This being my second SVT contour, I then gave up and traded it in for a Chevy.
General comments?
SVT contours in general (I had a red one and a black one, both 1998) are one of the most fun cars to drive ever. They handle incredibly (on par with BMW 3 series), are very comfortable with leather bucket seats, and they are pretty fast (but can easily be made faster.)
Unfortunately, they have that good old Ford reliability, and cannot be trusted past about 40 thousand miles.
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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? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 1998 |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5L High Output Duratec V6 Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 0 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 0 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 60000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 62000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Contour |
| Date of Entry | 20th January, 2005 |