... and seeing as how there seem to be so many car experts here...

What can you guys tell me about the 1995 Ford Contour? Good? Bad? Ugly? It seems the reviews on this model are decidedly mixed.

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

I know it has air filter and the battery is behind one of the front tires.

Quote
Jp!
I know it has air filter and the battery is behind one of the front tires.

That is the Dodge Stratus, and its siblings JP.

BGnR

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"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."

Jeez, what is it with you guys today?

So far, best I've found is this: [en.wikipedia.org] ... but of course doesn't have any reviews. (I don't know yet whether the car in question is the GL, LX, or SE... it can't be the SVT, since it's a 1995 model.)

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

I thought for sure the contour was behind the front wheel, too.

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Jp!
I thought for sure the contour was behind the front wheel, too.

Nope, but it is a Euro Spec battery, which means it is shorter, less height because the hood slopes down very sharply. The only way to make a Spiral Cell Optima battery work is to lay it down. No, it won't leak.

BGnR

---

"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."

[contour.org]

BGnR

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"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."

I know the driver's seat is behind the front wheels.

Can you point me to a picture of the battery in the engine compartment? (I'm installing Visual Studio and can't look away too much )

Put it this way. The Contour and it's sister car The Mercury Mystique have the dubious nicknames "Ford Can't Tour" and "Mercury Mistake".

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Unpaid Social Liaison

BGnR, yeah, I saw that site too. But a bunch of enthusiasts aren't really going to be exactly balanced in their perspectives on this car...

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

PB, what do you want to know that Edmunds, or MSN Auto haven't told you?

If you want something reliable, get a Honda, or Toyota.
Do not get a domestic vehicle.

BGnR
You want reviews?
Go to the car magazine websites, they have their old reviews available onsite. Also, you don't even know what the car model/transmission/engine/options are.

---

"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."

Quote
PeterB
BGnR, yeah, I saw that site too. But a bunch of enthusiasts aren't really going to be exactly balanced in their perspectives on this car...

They aren't like MacHeads, they are ruthless about the car, they will be straight out. They are not MacApologists.

BGnR

---

"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."

Ah, think I found the answer to my own question: [www.fordcontour.org]

Edit: these people are nuts.

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2006 02:00PM by PeterB.

The car magazines liked them (Ford Contours and to a lesser extent Mercury Mystiques) reasonably well when they were introduced, but they were universally criticized for their lack of rear seat head room because they had much less than the European Ford Sierra and domestic Ford Tempo that they replaced.

Ford Focii are roomier and much more fun to drive.
Ford Taurii are roomier and dirt cheap to buy used, earning them the title of "the Bic lighter of used cars" (You buy one, use it until it quits, throw it away, and buy another one in a different color).

Ford Contours use a BCI Group 40R battery mounted underneath the hood.

The contour/mystique were the replacements for the Tempo/Topaz.

I watched a Contour blow it's trans all over the track ay Byron, IL dragstrip about 9 years ago. Stopped the races for about a half hour while they cleaned up the mess - idiot didn't come to a stop, he coasted, oiling the track for 200'.

And yes, the Mercury Mistake is a common nickname for them. :>)

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Good Luck!
Jamie Dresser
Other World Computing

you need a turbo volvo. like this one:

[videos.streetfire.net]

Recalls for that model year:

[www.automotive.com]

From what I've read, it seems it was more of an unpopular car than an unreliable one.