Tourige
CEG's Resident Jackass
It makes me laugh when you guys think the contour is some amazing car.
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parents bought a '99 Ford Contour for my younger brother
- Thread starter adelossa
- Start date
elraido
I kant speel
Amazing is relative. The contour, as a mass made car, was one of the better ones when it was released. Why do you think it sold so well in Europe and won awards when it was released here? Is it a freakin' Ferarri? No. And it wasn't built for crazy speed. It was built to be a great all around car. Good at all things, bad in none.
Tourige
CEG's Resident Jackass
It's still a contour FFS... Who cares if he crashes it, i see people crashing 100K cars and i dont sweat a brick, but if anyone buys a ZETEC ATX contour to learn to drive on, everyone has a fit.
cnewton44
Hard-core CEG'er
What do you expect?? Your on a CONTOUR ENTHUSIASTS GROUP website, and you get all worked up when someone mentions that people shouldnt "learn to drive" in a contour. DUH!!!! Its a given that people are gonna say that. Almost any other car group website would probably say the same thing.
Come on guys, play nice. The OP never said the car was "disposable" etc., he said to "practice driving with".
Lets not read into it more than is meant to be. We all had to start somewhere. The OP came here asking for some info, lets help him out.
Lets not read into it more than is meant to be. We all had to start somewhere. The OP came here asking for some info, lets help him out.
adelossa: Tell your brother congratulations. 
The Contour is an excellent first vehicle with perceptible dimensions, good visibility on all sides and fairly cheap to maintain and fix (compared to the competition in that price range). It's proven to be extremely safe too, if it gets wrecked. Many people on here have flipped, rolled, crashed, or been T-boned and walked away from the accident.
I'd recommend a transmission flush as soon as possible, especially if you don't know its history. The CD4E automatic trans is one of the weakest parts in a Contour, especially if abused or ill-maintained.
The Contour is an excellent first vehicle with perceptible dimensions, good visibility on all sides and fairly cheap to maintain and fix (compared to the competition in that price range). It's proven to be extremely safe too, if it gets wrecked. Many people on here have flipped, rolled, crashed, or been T-boned and walked away from the accident. I'd recommend a transmission flush as soon as possible, especially if you don't know its history. The CD4E automatic trans is one of the weakest parts in a Contour, especially if abused or ill-maintained.
TourDeForce
Hard-core CEG'er
adelossa: Tell your brother congratulations.
I'd recommend a transmission flush as soon as possible, especially if you don't know its history. The CD4E automatic trans is one of the weakest parts in a Contour, especially if abused or ill-maintained.
Excellent post.
- A couple of 4 quart drain & fill events on the CD4E will do a WORLD of good for the tranny! Do it ASAP. Just did this on the Cougar I bought & the difference is very noticable. An extra tranny cooler will extend the life of the CD4E a great deal.
- Check the timing belt. If it is not already new, have a Gates Timing Belt KIT installed. It will include a pulley or two and is great insurance for preventing a breakdown on a car with that much mileage. These 4 cylinder engines are non-interference, which means that there will likely be NO damage if the belt breaks, but who needs to be stranded?
- If your brother has any further questions tell him to search this site. Lots of info available. Read a LOT!
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zorrex
Enjoys the Abuse
The Contour was my first car as well, and I love it to DEATH. The day my Contour dies, a part of me will have also died.
Definitely check that timing belt. There's only two tiny bolts underneath the power steering line holding the cover in place. It takes maybe 45 seconds to remove and replace
Definitely check that timing belt. There's only two tiny bolts underneath the power steering line holding the cover in place. It takes maybe 45 seconds to remove and replace
andreslobo
Hard-core CEG'er
Or you could just leave it alone
Or you could just leave it alone
If the car works, leave it alone. Unless you think if it isn't broken you must not have worked on it long enough.
I bought my wife a contour to learn to drive because it was cheap and I fully expected her to round off all of the corners. That didn't happen and she still likes the car after 3 years. But we only fix things that really go wrong, we don't look for things to fix. Life is too short for that.
Or you could just leave it alone
If the car works, leave it alone. Unless you think if it isn't broken you must not have worked on it long enough.
I bought my wife a contour to learn to drive because it was cheap and I fully expected her to round off all of the corners. That didn't happen and she still likes the car after 3 years. But we only fix things that really go wrong, we don't look for things to fix. Life is too short for that.
TourDeForce
Hard-core CEG'er
It's called maintenance. Prevents being stranded and helps to preserve what little value the car may have. Maintenance also provides a resonable amount of confidence in your vehicle and expectation that you can operate it on the road safely.
Tourige
CEG's Resident Jackass
zorrex
Enjoys the Abuse
No, he means, unless it's broken, don't fix it.
Anyways, I agree with TourDeForce. If you notice even the smallest thing go awry, I would check it out before it becomes a big problem. It's always a good idea to check the condition of the timing belt, filters, etc. :shrug:.
andreslobo
Hard-core CEG'er
Yup he is right
Yup he is right
While I will check tire pressures, fluid levels and the such. I pretty much wait for something to make itself known or break outright before I fix it. I don't go looking for work to do. Again life is too short for that.
A long time ago I was a mechanic and I would worry about the slightest noise or tick, it really screwed up my enjoyment of the moment. I observed my friends who were having a much better time than I and noticed that a car was simply transportation. No personality, no emotion, just a box to get from point a to point b. It took quite a bit of time but I finally saw the zen of thier method and adopted it.
Now I look out the window at the wonders of the world and don't wonder about the car.
And yes I leave the car bone stock.
Yup he is right
While I will check tire pressures, fluid levels and the such. I pretty much wait for something to make itself known or break outright before I fix it. I don't go looking for work to do. Again life is too short for that.
A long time ago I was a mechanic and I would worry about the slightest noise or tick, it really screwed up my enjoyment of the moment. I observed my friends who were having a much better time than I and noticed that a car was simply transportation. No personality, no emotion, just a box to get from point a to point b. It took quite a bit of time but I finally saw the zen of thier method and adopted it.
Now I look out the window at the wonders of the world and don't wonder about the car.
And yes I leave the car bone stock.
zorrex
Enjoys the Abuse
I disagree with you there kind sir! If I didn't pay close attention to the noise of my transmission while driving, I would not have noticed a small leak in what a mechanic had called the "governor cap." When I had first purchased my car, it was leaking from there, and I could hear a bit of a scratching noise in the tranny. I got the problem fixed, but over a year later I heard the same scratching again. The fluid was leaking out again! However, it wasn't enough to be dripping on the road (where I park). So I took a look because I heard the noise, and voila, I saw fluid trailing along the bottom of the tranny.
andreslobo
Hard-core CEG'er
as i said
as i said
as I said, don't look for trouble until it makes itself known. Now did that leak cause a breakdown? These cars are now cheap enough that they are basically disposable.
as i said
as I said, don't look for trouble until it makes itself known. Now did that leak cause a breakdown? These cars are now cheap enough that they are basically disposable.
jtour
CEG'er
Your bro is going to love it. I have the exact same car '99 4 banger atx tour. I have about 93,xxx miles on mind and its still good as new! Stay on top of the maintenance and you should be good.
Again disagreed! Zorrex is entering his freshman year of college and his car is certainly not "disposable" to him. By paying attention to the slightest of noises you can avoid future catastophes. By inspecting that slight noise, he discovered the slow leak, and avoided a transmission failure!
(Also .. I get into this disagreement with my mother time and time again .. if you enjoy driving, as most of the people on this site do, a car is not simply a A->B appliance!)
Let me give you a basic list
1) TIMING BELT! Have it changed along with the tensioners as soon as possible, if it breaks it will strand your little brother, and there is debait as if the motor will retain valve damage if it breaks, other people will tell you that it will. But trust me, it wont.
2) Brake rotors tend to warp, its common on any car. I would replace them, its an easy job
3) get the trans fluid changed, but dont do a flush. The Automatic trans is kinda fragile on the contour, but there is a lower chance of it failing on the I4 motor, As long as you take care of it and dont drive it like a ****head.
4) a suspension really isnt necessary, at 100K its probably pretty worn, but not anything dangerious, its moreso for comfort.
5) check the wheel bearings
6) As for any 100K+ car, replace the spark plugs and wires
really thats just a bunch of regular maitence, the I4 motor is a much more solid motor than the V6, less problems are reported with the I4.
1) TIMING BELT! Have it changed along with the tensioners as soon as possible, if it breaks it will strand your little brother, and there is debait as if the motor will retain valve damage if it breaks, other people will tell you that it will. But trust me, it wont.
2) Brake rotors tend to warp, its common on any car. I would replace them, its an easy job
3) get the trans fluid changed, but dont do a flush. The Automatic trans is kinda fragile on the contour, but there is a lower chance of it failing on the I4 motor, As long as you take care of it and dont drive it like a ****head.
4) a suspension really isnt necessary, at 100K its probably pretty worn, but not anything dangerious, its moreso for comfort.
5) check the wheel bearings
6) As for any 100K+ car, replace the spark plugs and wires
really thats just a bunch of regular maitence, the I4 motor is a much more solid motor than the V6, less problems are reported with the I4.
andreslobo
Hard-core CEG'er
Or not
Or not
A car is a car, yeah I know this is a users group and by definition you all think the cars are wonderful. Not bad cars, but at this age, the newest is now 7 years old they clearly fall into the transportation classification.
Spending even moderate sums of money on something that my or may not be a problem is very similar to paying interest on a loan that you have not taken out yet. Not very fiscally responsible.
And as many others on this list have found out, messing with something that isn't broken is the surest way to break it.
If it ain't broke don't fix it. And don't worry fate will take care of the rest.
Or not
A car is a car, yeah I know this is a users group and by definition you all think the cars are wonderful. Not bad cars, but at this age, the newest is now 7 years old they clearly fall into the transportation classification.
Spending even moderate sums of money on something that my or may not be a problem is very similar to paying interest on a loan that you have not taken out yet. Not very fiscally responsible.
And as many others on this list have found out, messing with something that isn't broken is the surest way to break it.
If it ain't broke don't fix it. And don't worry fate will take care of the rest.
Mystique97
Veteran CEG'er
I'd rather just keep fixing my Mystique up it's better/cheaper then going out and buying a new car. Shoot my girlfriend's uncle owns an alignment shop and he seen BRAND NEW cars just fresh off the lot having to come in for an alignment. Sad isn't it? My dad worked at a body shop for almost 10 years and seen BRAND NEW cars/trucks (mostly GM's) come in for warrenty work for the paint chipping and clear coat pealing. He also seen rust in the lower part of the doors too on those brand new Chevy trucks. Shoot my mercury barely has any rust on the inside lip of the doors. So IMHO contours are not disposable cars.
A Geo Metro is a disposable car.
A Geo Metro is a disposable car.