Is a SVT Contour a Good DD!!!!!!!!

[BadBoy50]

I was thinking about buying a svt contour for a dd. But I have heard bad things about the contours and I wasn't sure if I should get one or not. I really like the way they look. But I drive 90 miles a day for work and I need something that is going to last me a while and save me money in gas. If you think its worth it let me know thanks.

 

[Ryan]

depends. But if you have to ask the question then....why don't you just get a civic or something?

 

[greensvt21]

like RTStabler51 states it depends, but all used cars can have issues, the svt contour does have some known issues, 98's have main wire harness problems and I believe maybe even some very early 99's not totally sure. 98.5's, 99's and early 2000's have dash warp issues. then there is the faulty waterpumps(easy fix) 3rd gear syncro's(mostly on abused tranny's), resistor going to the fan motor can crop up(again easy fix) sun roof motor gear breakage, the fatal lower end knock(main bearing failure)etc., etc.. like I said these are known issues not saying they happen to all csvt's but they have to some. maybe with your driving you are a civic canidate ?

 

[elraido]

My 95 SE had over 200K miles on it when I sold it....95% the same car as a SVT. Drove it 120 miles a day to and from work for a year and half with no problems. The SVT has been great for almost the year that I have had it as well. No problems cropping up yet. If the previous owners took half way good care of it, then I wouldn't hesitate getting one as a DD.

 

[Ryan]

95% the same car as a SVT.

That's like saying a GT and a Cobra are 95% the same....if it were 95% the same you wouldn't have bought the SVT.

 

[blowns281]

few minor problems with mine, what used car doesn't, I drive it daily, gets about 26mpg

 

[SVT Loki]

I just picked up a 98 Svt for my DD. If you drive a lot of highway miles your going to love it.

But as noted it all depends how the previous owners took care or beat on them.

 

[BlownBayou]

I am going to chime in on this since all I had was TROUBLE with mine....... It was a fun car at first, but just got too much on the repair end. I did get about 30mpg on the HWY running 70 MPH though (before the harness flaked on me). Just research the car you are looking at to make sure all is well. EVERY car will give you troubles sometime, it just seemed that the CSVT gave more than usual.

Later

 

[elraido]

That's like saying a GT and a Cobra are 95% the same....if it were 95% the same you wouldn't have bought the SVT.

I sold it because I hit a deer with it (fixed it though), had 200K miles on it, needed new struts all around etc. Would have cost more to fix that than to get the SVT. I didn't know about the SVT when I bought the 95....so it was a logical upgrade.

 

[yamaharacer686]

to me to drive an svt as a dd is overkill.

regular contours and csvt are alot more alike then when saying the same about Gt and the cobra

 

[elraido]

to me to drive an svt as a dd is overkill.

regular contours and csvt are alot more alike then when saying the same about Gt and the cobra

The SVT as a daily driver is actually very nice, thank you!

 

[creina]

I dirve mine as a daily driver and it has over 205k on it. I did just hit a deer and thought it would be totaled, but it's repaired. I have experienced the waterpump issue, I've put three of them in. I have the resistor issue now which I'll get to. Other than that, the only issue I have as an annoying "idling" misfire I can't pinpoint...I spent 1300 at a Ford Dealership trying to get them to diagnos and they were unsuccessful, they're saying it's a stick valve but I refuse to believe that.....it's going to a reputable shop next week to get a correct diagnosis and fix.

But as a DD, I dirve about 88 miles round trip and it's comfortable, somewhat practical, but again, depending on mileage, anything can really go wrong with it

 

[crazyj0n]

to me to drive an svt as a dd is overkill.

regular contours and csvt are alot more alike then when saying the same about Gt and the cobra

actually theres a big difference between the 4 of those

 

[4GTNSVT]

I have had mine scince it had 26,000 miles on it and have driven it daily for 4 years now. Only issues I have had have been the water pump(big suprise) and 02 sensors. I just did a tune up on it but other than that nothing. I guess I got lucky and got a good one. I love the car, it works great as a daily driver and when I feel the need I take it to the track a coulpe times a year for fun.

 

[jimbbski]

I have an '00' SVTC. I bought it with 30K in Oct. of '04. It was a low mile car! I now have 72K and other then the common intake "mooing" and an occasional high idle hang it has run fine. It's a daily driver, in all kinds of weather including snow. I run all season tires HP tires. The only mods are Bilstien struts and a bigger rear sway bar. I am happy with it and would have bought it anyway knowing the car as I do now. Repair costs for most parts are not much higher then reg. Contours. Ther have been times that I found myself in 3rd gear at highway speed, 55-60mph, for a bit before I notice it and up shift to 5th. It's that smooth!

 

[LilCe98]

Knock on wood i haven't had any problems with my 98.5svtc.........well actually i take that back when i was driving it home from picking it up for the first time i threw a rod and had to replace the engine........but after that nothing major. I think its a pretty reliable DD. Just research the car your getting

 

[Red99CSVT]

I drive mine daily now and I've added a long list of mods on long trips I get about 28-30 on the highway cruising. It's a great car and can hang with the best of them.

 

[ryanblacksvt]

Mine is a dd and my only car, I wouldnt not be able to drive it everyday.

 

[ClOckwOrk]

i drove mine daily. i've replaced everything in the car except transmission internals and the axles. the parts that did go out on me were:

clutch (125k)
water pump (155k)
Plug wires (125k)
IMRC box (130k)

that added up to about 450$ and most of that cost was in the clutch.

my car now has a 3L block with SVT intakes, SVT cams, (every bolt on that is availible) but i still have the stock transmission with the supposed "glass" diff that holds up to my 3L launches and my nitrous launches on 300HP and more torque. if you don't wheel hop, you don't ruin the trans. if you run 6quarts of oil and don't let it go low, you don't get the rod knock. simple as that!

all in all the contour SVT has been a real trooper!

 

[SoCal94]

Buy the lowest mileage example you can find - I've heard nothing but bad news from folks who have had to do a lot of stuff that should be easy (alternator replacement due to the voltage regulator failing is one good one that comes up a lot).

But, I bought my '00 SVT Contour new, and have used it as a DD since then (March 2000). I have about 87k miles on it now. My commute is 24 miles round trip (used to be about 35). I love the way this car drives, and I'm a die hard Mustang guy. The Contour is more responsive (both turning/handling, and throttle input). It's much less powerful than any V8 Mustang, but you really don't notice that, due to the really high ratio differential (what is it, 4:10 or something?). It moves off the line as well as a Mustang in normal driving.

But, this is NOT a car for somebody who is hard on cars. Motor mounts break, transmissions break, etc. And they're all expensive to fix compared to other cars because the engine is really crammed under the hood. And it's more difficult than most cars for a home mechanic to fix.

It is a GREAT highway roadtrip car. This car doesn't wake up in 5th gear until 90 mph, and gets 24-28 mph even at triple digit average speeds. Don't quote me on that. I've done several road trips from SoCal to Las Vegas or Phoenix and never been disappointed. The seats are very comfortable.

I average about 20 mpg on mine these days, driving like Grandma. I don't know how folks across the country get better mileage - if I used the throttle any more sparingly I'd drive everywhere at idle. But, I know that California gas is utter crap, and owners in other states CERTAINLY get better mileage just due to that. My record on California gas is 32 mpg. I got that much only twice in 87k miles of driving it.

I'd say to get it if you can get a low mileage one.

SoCal94