I am thinking about getting a ford contour<br>and i would like to know what anyone's <br>experience has been with the car's reliability.<br><br>thanks,<br><br>tim h

Hi Tim,<br><br>IMHO, The Contour is one of the best cars out there. I have had a couple of problems with my '96 SE, that were my fault. And a few recalls, not as mant as my Explorer. For the price I don't think a better car is out there.<br><br>For a better views go to <a href=http://www.contour.org target=new>http://www.contour.org</a><br>This is the CEG (Contour Enthuiast Group) site.<br><br>GERII<br><br>ps. If there are any questions, feel free to e-mail me at cone_tour@...

Thanks for the reply. I actually have<br>already visited the Contour site. I posted<br>pretty much the same question. I'm just<br>trying everywhere i can to see if anyone<br>thinks differently. From what i've read<br>in the reviews and all i think it is the<br>best car for the money if you want something<br>that is really fun to drive. My local carmax<br>dealers have several 99&00 V6 models(all non<br>SVT). from what i have read and heard, contour mightnot be as reliable as a toyota or a mazda,<br>but neither is it as bad as GM. <br><br>tim h

Every manifacture has its faults, some have more. A freind bought a '00 Camery about 9 months ago, and has had it in to the dealer no less 12 times. My '96 SE has been to the dealer 3 times, 2 recalls, and 1 fuse I couldn't find.<br><br>If you do get a Contour (Highly suggested), try to get a manual transmission with a V6. It's the best way to go. Anything else is optional.<br><br>GERII

For some the sky will always be falling. I have driven almost 11,000 km and 3 months of driving in all sorts of conditions. I have had no problems.<br><br>I agree with you that I think that the Ford recalls are a positive thing as they try to keep the Escape reliable and safe.<br><br>Gary

Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And did anyone see the report on GM cars last night????? Seems that most of GM's cars will not take a rear end hit without the front seats collapsing rearward and slamming into the rear seats. Been a bunch of people killed from broken necks and paralized because of this. Is GM taking responsibility and fixing?????? NO!!!!!! One retired GM Engineer, that by the way sued GM after his wreck, said that for $5 each they could fix everyone of them so this would not happen. But they won't accept responsibility.

Saying that the Ford Escape's reliability is better than your Grand Cherokee is like saying that breaking only 1 leg is better than fracturing your spine. <br><br>It's a hollow boast.

It would be even more of a positive thing if they would have ironed out the bugs BEFORE launching the car instead of trying to catch things with recalls. <br><br>Someone in another club mentioned they sent him out a new owner's manual to replace the one he got. Yes, even the manual was recalled!

That "front seat collapsing in a rear end collision" issue has been documented for decades now. It's only been in the last 3 years that manufacturers (namely MB, Volvo, BMW, Saab) are begining to address it. <br><br>Luckily, their marketting has been enough to convince other high end brands to work on the same thing.<br><br>The technology eventually finds its way down the line.

I owned 2 Grand Cherokee's a 93 ( which was a first year model ) and a 99. The 93 was pretty<br>much problem free except for premature warping of<br>brake rotors and a leak in the transfer case in<br>120,000 km. Based on this I bought the 99 which<br>had numerous problems. My main issue was of course<br>the problems I experienced, and the manner in<br>which Chrylser handled them. Visit a Jeep " board " and read some of the posts and what consumers have to say about D-C. Sure my Escape<br>could turn out to be just as much a lemon as the<br>Jeep was, however up to now it hasn't and as Gary<br>said the Escape isn't perfect, but it is also<br>about $10,000 less than a Grand Cherokee. I liked<br>my Jeep but it lacked reliability.<br><br>Chris