The Contour SVT?

Question

I am looking into buyin a 1998 contour SVT.
It is a 5 speed with 210,000 miles on it. Its price is $2,500.

Has anyone had any experience with the SVT?

Any info. on the SVT would be great.

The taurus SHO, is out of the question, I hate its body style.

I actualy have a reg. contour spory 4 speed, so i know about the contour, i want to know about the SVT.

Thanks everyone!

Sport** sorry

Answer 1

As long as it was well taken care of, a Contour SVT will provide you with many years of driving pleasure.

I own the next best thing, a Contour V6.

The SVT basically is a Contour V6 with 5-speed manual, 30+ HP without any turbo or such, and tighter suspension settings with 15 inch wheels standard (regular Contour has 14 inch wheels), and a bit lower to the curb (about 1.5 inches lower).

Keep in mind that Contours, known as Mondeos in Europe, were raced in BTCC, the British version of American NASCAR (on road courses mainly). And they aren't as modified over there as NASCAR over here, where the resemblance is mostly superficial.

You should check contour.org, the Contour Enthusiasts' Group, for the common problems and other things.

So what about the car itself?

The engine is extremely good, and should have no problem lasting many many miles. However, it must be cared for. People who truly baby their SVTs (and there are many!) would have done so with full synthetic motor oil, and periodic oil changes with filter.

The transmission is not really a weakpoint, but again, it must be cared for. Periodic change of fluids, filter, and so on. Manual tranny lasts longer than the automatic if you take care of the clutch, and the clutch can be replaced separately. Remember, synthetic fluids and all that. :)

The main problem with Contours overall is that it has very tight tolerances, very little room in the engine bay, so labor costs are higher than normal. Thus, all problems must be take care of early on, or they'll start affecting lots of other things.

For one with 220K miles... You're right on the edge of transmission life. I'd check if the transmission has been rebuilt before. The engine, if taken care of properly should last a while longer.

The Contour SVT has been dubbed "poor man's BMW M3" by many car magazines before, and it deserves the title, for its handling is very European.

Check with Contour.org. You should find one with better condition than that.

Answer 2

Ford closed the SVT plant in Dearborn several years ago in order to save money. SVT stands for Special Vehicle Team, and they made souped up versions of the Mustang, Contour, Focus, and F-150 truck. These vehicles had hand built engines, beefed up suspension, and other modes unique to SVT. Cobra Mustangs and Lightening F-150's are highly sought after by racers and collectors. I would think that the SVT Contour would follow in this tradition. I have a 1997 SVT Mustang Cobra convertible, and I love it . I'm going to say, "If you're a motor head, buy it." They don't make these anymore and it will be collectable in time.

Answer 3

I bought a Contour SVT close to two years ago. Mine is a 98 E0 Silver Frost. It has came a long way. From paint work, body work and engine work. The car had a dent in the front fender and paint chips along the hood and trunk. I finally painted and fixed all of the comestics. Since then I now have a set of ADR 17 inch Wheels with DC Coilovers. I have a 3L Swap with Forged Crankshaft, K1 Connecting rods and K1 Pistons. It has a Port and Polished Throttle body with 22LB injectors. The car has MSDS Headers, Borla Exhaust, HKS Mufflers. This car has came a long way from where it was at. The car now has 184,000 miles and runs great but is now in need off a Throw Out bearing and slave cylinder.

Answer 4

Any car with that much mileage is suspect, you may drive it for 20 miles and it may blow the engine, even though it may look and run good right now, I'd stay away from it no matter what the price