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SE vs STV vs Mystique

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Greasyman

New CEG'er
Joined
Dec 14, 2009
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Can anyone point me to a thread that discusses this, or give me a brief rundown on the differences between these cars?

I'm considering one of these cars as a daily driver. I know the STV is the high-perf one, but as I'm sure you know they are rare and a bit pricey. I've heard the SE is not all that far behind the STV as far as being fun to drive and general sportiness, especially for the street. I'm not concerned about performance at 10/10th's, I'm not going to autox or track it, I just want a car that is pleasant and fairly exciting to drive at 7/10th's or so. Can I get that from the SE, or should I hold out for an STV? I know little about the Mystique. Is it the same as the Contour or does it have softer suspension and that sort of thing?

At what mileage do these cars tend to become unreliable? What issues do they have and what should I look at when shopping for one? Are they easy to work on?

These cars seem like a great deal. All the reviews I've read of them are positive, and they are surprisingly inexpensive. I drove an STV a few years ago and liked it a lot, but it was kind of beat up and overpriced, so I ended up with something else. Thanks for any and all advice.
 
anyway. if u're just looking for a fun little car, the SE is a great choice. SVT body parts are much rarer to come by. the SE v6 has ~30hp less than the svt as well. these cars arent that easy to work on as u probably noticed that its a pretty tight fit under the hood.
 
The Mystique had the higher level interior materials and , I believe, the same suspension tuning as the base Contour. The suspension was not made softer, as was usually done with the Mercury models. The SE was different depending on if you are talking about the early or later model SE. The '95-97 SE was the sportier earlier-period Coutour. It came with firmer suspension, the 2.5L Duratec V6, 15" cast aluminum wheels with the widest tires, leather interior, and rocker panel extensions and a deck lid spoiler. It was a fun car, especially with the 5 speed stick. I had to special order a '96 to get the manual tranny. The '98-00 SE's were decontented of standard equipment to hit a lower price point and to make them less sporty so as not to compete against the SVT. The SVT, of course, had many factory performance upgrades, as well known on this board.
 
Thanks guys. So is the later SE still worth having? Was it still sportier than the other non STV versions of the Contour? How are the automatic trannies in these cars? I generally prefer a manual, but if I find a really good deal I might consider an auto. It's been so long since I've owned a car with one it would be a novelty.
 
blackzilla said:
for the love of god its SVT!!! NOT STV!!! geesh
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he must be dyslexic when it comes to acronyms... lol

Greasyman said:
Thanks guys. So is the later SE still worth having? Was it still sportier than the other non STV versions of the Contour? How are the automatic trannies in these cars? I generally prefer a manual, but if I find a really good deal I might consider an auto. It's been so long since I've owned a car with one it would be a novelty.
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yes it is worth having. and yes, it is sportier than the other non svt models. doesnt matter which tranny u go with.
 
stay away from the automatics, they are junk.

also, dont rule out a pre98 Zetec MTX just because its a 4 cylinder. they can be lots of fun, even stock, but especially with some basic mods. stock for stock, they are just as fast as a non-SVT V6 with an automatic, and they will get better gas mileage (I got about 30MPG on the highway even after I built it and added a turbo)
 
striker2 said:
stay away from the automatics, they are junk.

also, dont rule out a pre98 Zetec MTX just because its a 4 cylinder. they can be lots of fun, even stock, but especially with some basic mods. stock for stock, they are just as fast as a non-SVT V6 with an automatic, and they will get better gas mileage (I got about 30MPG on the highway even after I built it and added a turbo)
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The Zetec is a great engine. I had a 98 Escort ZX3 for a couple of years, and really liked it. It had the Zetec and 5 speed. Great car for the money, really fun to drive. I'm surprised they aren't more popular as tuner cars. They are sportier than a Civic (at least my girlfriend's '00 EX) and cheaper to buy. Not much of an aftermarket, but there would be if there was a demand.
 
Greasyman said:
The Zetec is a great engine. I had a 98 Escort ZX3 for a couple of years, and really liked it. It had the Zetec and 5 speed. Great car for the money, really fun to drive. I'm surprised they aren't more popular as tuner cars. They are sportier than a Civic (at least my girlfriend's '00 EX) and cheaper to buy. Not much of an aftermarket, but there would be if there was a demand.
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You had an Escort ZX2.
 
Hey man, don't sweat it. The point is that you are bringing up great questions and sparking an interesting conversation; something this forum badly needs. Keep them coming.
 
cobrawannabe said:
Hey man, don't sweat it. The point is that you are bringing up great questions and sparking an interesting conversation; something this forum badly needs. Keep them coming.
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Nice of you to say that. Many people would use stuff like what I said as an excuse to jump on the noob.

So here's another couple of questions. Is it difficult to work on the V6? It seems like it's stuffed in there pretty tight. Also, are electrical problems somewhat common with these cars?
 
Greasyman said:
So here's another couple of questions. Is it difficult to work on the V6? It seems like it's stuffed in there pretty tight. Also, are electrical problems somewhat common with these cars?
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BAD SVT said:
these cars arent that easy to work on as u probably noticed that its a pretty tight fit under the hood.
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needs more reading...
....and no, they arent notorious for electrical issues. mostly mechanical...
 
Like striker2 stated, dont rule out the pre98 Zetec's. They're easier to work on, and any pre98 5 speed you get will have a stronger differential in it. I love my Mystique 2.0 5 speed. TONS of fun to drive, especially with lowering springs, and basic engine mods. Road trips i get 38+ mpgs.
 
Greasyman said:
Nice of you to say that. Many people would use stuff like what I said as an excuse to jump on the noob.

So here's another couple of questions. Is it difficult to work on the V6? It seems like it's stuffed in there pretty tight. Also, are electrical problems somewhat common with these cars?
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They're not horrible, but they are a pretty tight fit. The only truly epically difficult job is the alternator.

People on this forum love to swear up and down that the CDW-27 platform is an utter heap; here's the skinny on that. They're full of it. It was a terrifically well-designed and engineered chassis with some of Ford's best engineering work of the decade in it. Its problem now is age. ANY car will be a bit tired after 10+ years, that's just how it is. The only year with any electrical problem was 1999, but they were mostly all covered under a TSB several years ago. The Contour/Mystique/Cougar is know for eating wheel bearings here and there, but that problem's notoriety has been mostly exacerbated by melodramatic owners. Mine never used one in 13+ years. Axles are an Achilles heel for the owner who wants to go fast in a straight line, but it's not much of an issue unless you are running lots of power and sticky tires/ stiff clutch. Sunroof motor gears are a flawed design, yes. Cheap fix. Alternators are normally pretty good, though they tend to go in any car with over 100K miles. If you have a good collection of hand tools and a lot of patience, it can be done by just about anybody.
 
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