Faults:

Two airbag sensors failed; both after washing the engine compartment. Brake pedal beginning to pulsate so rotors must be starting to warp (48,000 km).

General Comments:

Tremendous fun to drive. Sticks well in corners. Brakes powerful & easy to modulate. Replaced the intake with K&N filter; love that intake sound @6,000+ RPM. Just traded my 98 for a new 99.

Faults:

An annoying rattle upon cold starts (sounds like a loose cat/con heat shield) that the dealer cannot trace. Finicky alignment has also been a source of minor irritation.

General Comments:

An automotive magazine put it best when they called the SVT Contour "spirited but flawed". The car is an awesome looking (for a sedan) and never fails to turn heads or fire up "what kind of car is that?" conversation anywhere we go.

Faults:

Minimal non major mechanical bits. Quite a few recalls, but overall, I flog the car hard day in, day out, and it still runs like a top.

General Comments:

From a bang for the buck standpoint, one would be hard pressed to find a four door sedan with the performance of the SVT Contour for a similar price.

Faults:

As reported by Ford Service: Mass airflow sensor malfunctioned resulting in unwanted acceleration. Covered under waranty, fixed in one day. Scheduling with service was a nightmare.

General Comments:

The car is great, performance is excellent considering its price. Stereo could be better. Too bad they're getting rid of the line.

Faults:

1. Brake rotors warp every 10K miles. Currently under warranty, but will get expensive later.

2. Airbag sensor was replaced (warranty).

3. Gas tank filler neck was replaced (warranty).

4. IAC valve was replaced (by me - dealer was too clueless to know what the problem was).

5. Shift linkage is loose. Currently investigating myself because dealer is clueless.

General Comments:

The car's virtues don't really make themselves known until you drive other cars that are supposed to perform better. Then you realize what a hot little car it really is. It's one of those cars that just encourages you to drive fast.

I recently drove a new BMW 328i, and can say without reservation that I'd rather drive the SVT on a daily basis. It's much more of a driver's car.

On a darker note, Ford's dealer network seems to be spotty at best. My personal experiences have been less than encouraging.

Finally, I can't express enough how disappointed I am that Ford is discontinuing this car. The Contour was basically the only European-flavored sedan sold in America, and it makes me sick that Ford has shifted its efforts to the SUV fad. Ford is forcing me to buy a European car when it's time to replace my SVT.

Faults:

Minor annoyances -- some small rattles here and there.

In my opinion, the dealers are generally awful. You're lucky if you get one who is merely surly, rather than displaying outright hostility.

General Comments:

The only reason that I rate the comfort low is because Ford has undertaken some brutal decontenting on this car, and many features that are standard on competitors are no longer available on the Contour.

Still, the SVT Contour is a great car; dynamically, it is far better than any other sub-$25K sedan available in the United States. For someone who wants a four-door sedan that drives like a sports car, I would recommend it without reservation.