• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

SE vs STV vs Mystique

^ Let me add to that wannabe. Early production Contour/Mystiques had a problem with the wiring harness insulation cracking causing electrical problems. Some were taken care of by a recall, others that had the problem werent covered.
 
As stated by cobrawannabe, the CDW-27 is a terrific platform. It was at the start of this time if not ahead of its; that is to say, a Contour or Mystique in excellent condition compares very well to contemporary cars imo. But a lot of current CEG members may not have ever driven in a Contour in good condition. When these cars were newer and on their first and second owners, there was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and pride here.

The problem is finding one in excellent condition. When I was test driving Contiques to use as a winter car a couple of years ago, I found there was a wide variance in quality compared to when I test drove them 5-7 years ago. The answers to your questions depend less on the qualities of the car and more on the quality of life the car had. This is the case for any 11-16 year old car.

Perhaps an SVT has an equally better and worse chance of having had a good life; there is both a greater likelihood they were babied and beaten on compared to a non-SVT. I would guess far more were beaten on than babied, but the the beaten SVT's probably ended up wrecked more frequently.

I believe the wiring harness issue primarily afflicted 1995-97 and early 1998 model year Contour and Mystiques.

I suggest avoiding cars that have been modded.

Be cautious of a Duratec with a *loud* ticking/clattering sound that increases with RPM's; it could be a spun bearing which is usually catastrophic.

Shop for good owners more than good cars when looking for a Contour. I personally wouldn't touch an automatic Contour with more than 100k miles on it unless it was really inexpensive. The automatic Duratecs drive well, but seem to fail frequently after 120-150k miles; that is the opinion of a very experienced transmission tech I spoke with as well. This was also the case with the 626 which used the same automatic transaxle.

Check the springs for breaks.

Check the rocker/quarter panels. for corrosion; For SVT's peak under the side skirts covering the rocker panel.

During the 1999 model year Ford switched the platform to a returnless fuel system which can have issues resolved with a new fuel pump assembly. I believe the return fuel system 1998-1999 can also have fuel system issue that may be related to fuel tank contamination clogging the fuel pump filter inside the tank. Symptoms of a fuel system issue would be varying performance based on the fuel level, particularly when low on fuel. There may or may not be a decrease in performance, stalling, or a lean code as a result.

1995-97 Contours and Mystiques had a water pump issue, but I bet this issue has been resolved on most remaining cars.

If it has a moonroof, ask about problems. There is a plastic gear that can get chewed up which results in the moonroof getting stuck. I had a problem with mine, but it went away after I adjusted the gear.
 
I had the pleasure of test driving and purchasing my 2000 brand new. yes the 00's lost alot in features but I was lucky enough to find one with all the boxes checked off including traction control. I did not know much about these cars but after a long test drive and taking it thru the twisty roads I was sold. I haven't had alot of the issues posted but then again I'm the original owner and it has low miles. very sad ford gave up on the contour but it is what it is. I haven't driven a high mileage one to see how much they change but mine still drive like new. I do wish I had the chance to drive a brand new loaded 95 SE V6 with a stick, that was one bad contour.
 
Beans said:
Don't buy a auto CD4E= junk!!!!!!
Click to expand...

I DISAGREE! I got 310,000 miles on my CD4E equipped Mystique, without a bit of trouble with it. The secret is changing the fluid every 30,000 miles as the owners manual calls for. The other secret for longevity is to drive it sanely, not like a boy racer. Its a perfectly good transmission when driven and maintained properly.
 
Beachboy said:
I DISAGREE! I got 310,000 miles on my CD4E equipped Mystique, without a bit of trouble with it. The secret is changing the fluid every 30,000 miles as the owners manual calls for. The other secret for longevity is to drive it sanely, not like a boy racer. Its a perfectly good transmission when driven and maintained properly.
Click to expand...

was it a v6 though?
 
I have a 1999 Mystique.... Low powered zetec and not very fun to drive, but good milege and ride isn't harsh like those tuner cars.

Just put two new springs on the back over leaking, rusted struts.... Hey....I needed to get it through inspection and I couldn't afford the struts. It got passed today, thank god.

Al I can say is the motor in mine is a dead horse..... with 140,000 miles. Just good, comfy transportation, but not tuner material.
 
Eric2.0 said:
I have a 1999 Mystique.... Low powered zetec and not very fun to drive, but good milege and ride isn't harsh like those tuner cars.

Just put two new springs on the back over leaking, rusted struts.... Hey....I needed to get it through inspection and I couldn't afford the struts. It got passed today, thank god.

Al I can say is the motor in mine is a dead horse..... with 140,000 miles. Just good, comfy transportation, but not tuner material.
Click to expand...

you must have an automatic, the ATX just sucks the life out of the Zetec (and duratec for that matter). 140K is just getting broken in for the Zetec, there are quite a few of us that have/had Zetecs with 250K+ miles on them.
 
I have 127K on my Zetec and it has 64+ passes on it at the drag strip, plus 3 year (50K miles) of spirited driving since i've owned it. That engine just takes it. i've never had it say no! lol.
 
striker2 said:
you must have an automatic, the ATX just sucks the life out of the Zetec (and duratec for that matter). 140K is just getting broken in for the Zetec, there are quite a few of us that have/had Zetecs with 250K+ miles on them.
Click to expand...


Yepp it has an automatic. When I kick it down to pass even at 3500 RPM it barely even budges... I have to wait until I have a good straight in order to safely pass, because I simply cannot power around anyone in case a car is coming the other direction. It's scary to pass TBH so I don't do it often. Often at the light when it turns green, I get a bumper full of lights of other cars that are on the gas and the Zetec is straining to get to speed. I even got beeped at once taking off from a light.... Had everything checked out and they couldn't find anything wrong with any running systems. I though catylic converter was plugged or something.
Oh well...it goes nicely, good on gas and very reliable after I got the timing belt taken care of.
 
I had a Zetec auto that was well-maintained, and I have to say; it really wasn't that much of a slouch. It's no Cobra, but the Zetec Contour, even with the dreaded automatic, will get you where you need to go in just about any bad situation. It will not pass a car with the urgency that a Mustang will, but it's no Mustang. What many seem to lose sight of is that while it is no Mustang, it is not a Geo, either. Take care of the car, maintain it properly, and it will perform just fine in normal, even urgent driving situations. If your car is so slow it feels dangerous, you have some work to do to get that car running properly. It just plainly is not that slow.
 
i have a 98.5 zetec with an mtx and it's a fun little car. it has over 205,000 on it and it makes no noises, i'm runnin the original wp, original alt., original ps pump, a/c went out but other then that for the abuse i have given this little car (racing mostly) it's held up nicely. and i have raced v6 mustangs with an automatic tranny in it and kicked it's :censored:.
 
The SVT's performance is surprisingly good, but the suspension can get a little uncomfortable as a daily. It tracks ruts like crazy on the freeway, and can be slightly jarring on rough roads.

If I were looking for a fun, comfortable daily, I'd go for a late model SE sport manual.

But then again, I bought an SVT, so don't listen to me. Nothing puts a smile on my face quicker than a second threw third WOT pull. By the time you can check the speedo, you're going too fast.

Keep in mind that parts are becoming harder to find, at least in my area. I find myself hearing "no" at the parts stores, "no" at the dealership, and "take it" at the salvage yards. But then again, those are for more uncommon parts.

As far as longevity goes: just passed 150k. No signs of needing major repair since the last major repair, so i guess I get this weekend off.

Zetecs are fun, SVT's are IT.

I've never driven one, but can only assume the SE is in the middle somewhere.
 
Lost Arrow said:
The SVT's performance is surprisingly good, but the suspension can get a little uncomfortable as a daily. It tracks ruts like crazy on the freeway, and can be slightly jarring on rough roads.
Click to expand...

sounds like bad suspension and/or alignment. next time have to alignment up front set with toe-in instead of toe-out like the spec says. the car will not track the ruts in the road. steering will feel alittle heaver. tire wisth might also be felt too.

also I believe the only suspension difference to the SE is the front struts.
 
Last edited:
Lost Arrow said:
The SVT's performance is surprisingly good, but the suspension can get a little uncomfortable as a daily. It tracks ruts like crazy on the freeway, and can be slightly jarring on rough roads.
Click to expand...

tracking on the road surface is more a function of tires than anything else. I had 205/55/16 kelly navigator golds on my eibach spring bat strut equipped se and fuzion hr1's on my koni kit equipped svt and neither one tracks funny at all on rutted roads.
 
Oh. That's good news. Suspension is next on my list.

I've run a couple pairs of front tires, both 205/55/16. right now they're toyo proxies. I haven't had much of a change in handling.

But, last night I went crawling around, and sho o' nuf LCA bushings look like trampled tacos.

I retract my statement about the handling. It's just MY busted SVT that can get uncomfortable as a daily.

Get the SVT.
 
i am gonna have to say that the 95 SE that i used to drive...leather, five speed.. http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd503/dabl1313/7cb0dc82.jpg (the one on the left) was actually the car that led me to searching for my svt that i have now... i was so so SO fun to drive and actually to have over 300k on it, still pulls kinda hard... its seen its better days tho, needs back struts, oil leaks fixed, and now a wiring harness.. faulty recalled harness finally went...
 
BrApple said:
sounds like bad suspension and/or alignment. next time have to alignment up front set with toe-in instead of toe-out like the spec says. the car will not track the ruts in the road. steering will feel alittle heaver. tire wisth might also be felt too.

also I believe the only suspension difference to the SE is the front struts.
Click to expand...
sway bars are different also ,yes:shrug:
dabl1313 said:
i am gonna have to say that the 95 SE that i used to drive...leather, five speed.. http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd503/dabl1313/7cb0dc82.jpg (the one on the left) was actually the car that led me to searching for my svt that i have now... i was so so SO fun to drive and actually to have over 300k on it, still pulls kinda hard... its seen its better days tho, needs back struts, oil leaks fixed, and now a wiring harness.. faulty recalled harness finally went...
Click to expand...
I concur about the 95 SE :drool: I love mine
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top