I'd buy another Contour

This was one of those 'accidental' purchases. In September of 1998, I had gone to the Ford dealership with the intention of purchasing an inexpensive car with just a few options. I figured it would probably be an escort.

I chose a loaded Ford Escort, signed loan papers on it and then discovered that it was the next model year and wasn't eligible for the cash-back bonus. Since, I was using that bonus as part of the down-payment, I had to make another choice. We looked at new and used Escorts, nothing was quite like my original choice.

On the verge of leaving the dealership, the Finance Manager suggested that I take a look at a Ford Contour that they had on the lot for almost a year. It had been a special order and had the same options, I'd been looking at in the Escort and they could sell it to me for the same price as my original choice.

I took it for a test drive. What a dream....

It is a 4-door sedan with a V-6 24 Valve fuel injected engine, and 5 speed standard transmission.

In July of 1999 we took it on a Road Trip from Seattle Washington to Sacramento California and across into Nevada. It was comfortable for the entire trip, the seats recline and are built for a woman's figure.

Because of the size of the engine and the relative weight of the vehicle, we were able to run the air conditioner in the 100+ degree heat without the slightest bit of overheating.

When I first got the car, I had to have a couple of warranty repairs done right away. No problem. The service from the Ford Dealership was exceptional.

I currently have 25,000 miles on the vehicle and it's had to be taken to the dealership twice because the Check-Engine light has come on. Both times, they've had to replace a spark plug and reset the light.

It's also been in once to check and repair the five-recalls that this vehicle has been subjected to. This would be the only thing that I'd change about this car. Ford seems to have alot of recalls. They have been polite and efficient when fixing the problems, so haven't left me with much to complain about.