Overview & Reviews

Designers sculpt and adjust interior seating to make more leg- and headroom in the backseat. Five new colors are available and improvements to shift effort on manual transmission models make the 1996 Contour more competitive.

User Reviews:

Showing 11 through 20 of 68.00

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  Excellent value - 1996 Ford Contour
  By NMRN - April 5 - 2:00 am

  Bought it 4 years ago from owner.. Been a Ford expected a lot of issue. So far only one minor issue. Front power window actuator broke. Wish I had the larger engine, but even with the 2L (Shift stick) it is fun to drive. For what I paid for it, It was plesent surprise, especialy performence and handling, but alos reliability.

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  Hardly a problem - 1996 Ford Contour
  By Daveeeee - November 1 - 2:00 am

  This car gets about 25 or 26 mpg and has been very reliable.

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  Many miles, still running - 1996 Ford Contour
  By MNDriver - September 9 - 2:00 am

  I have 173,000 miles on the contour and it still runs very well. No loss in compression or fuel mileage. Had to replace 2 power window motors, timing belt tensioner, and front ball joints. I hope to get 200k miles before I send it to its final resting place!

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  Excellent Engine -- Poor Suspension - 1996 Ford Contour
  By Sweep1120 - August 20 - 2:00 am

  The 4-cylinder in the Contour seems to be excellent -- 114,000 miles and no problems. And tremendous get-up and go for such a small engine on the freeway. However, the suspension and body construction problems (can no longer open gas cover from drivers seat) are troublesome. And no one seems to be able to correct them.

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  ford contour - 1996 Ford Contour
  By mia thyberg - July 23 - 2:00 am

  New Car Purchase-did not work by time home(engine problem) . Shortly after -sunroof did not work. Shortly after that- floormattes let off a fume per floor heat was so hot(Ford said this was normal). Carpet coming up- ford refused to fix, but did fix radio . After 1 year- rubbers to windows flew off. 3 years- bottom leaks water so carpets are all wet in back and trunck (mildew). Ford refused to fix. No customer service after purchase(i.e. beg for a replacement vehicle while yours is being repaired though you pulled off the lot w/ a faulty vehicle)

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  Good Old Car - 1996 Ford Contour
  By J.Low - July 22 - 2:00 am

  Well,Ive owned this contour v6 for over a year and so far havent had any major repairs ,just some negligible minor flaws,trunk release cable snapped,thus solely use keyless entry to operate,oil pan gasket shows minor leaks and power steering fluid line also minorly leaks.Aside from above its fun to drive and reliable .Conclusion pros:well executed interior design and materials other than plastic on dashboard,brake and steering feels,light clutch,close gear ratio,acceleration at highway speed,4 discs,roadholding personality cons:too stiff ride,fit and finish,rattles and sqeaks,torque steer,road noise,low end grunt,rear legroom

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  I miss my contour - 1996 Ford Contour
  By ButterCup41 - July 17 - 2:00 am

  This is a fun car to drive. I have not really had any major problems with it, just a few recalls that had to be taken care of (headlight connector and heating switch or something like that.) I have the 4 cyl engine and it still has kick after 7 years, just make sure you keep up the maintanance. It is in the shop now getting the timing belt replaced, cant wait to get it back :-)

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  So Far So Good - 1996 Ford Contour
  By Timinana - June 27 - 2:00 am

  No major problems to this point. Fun to drive with 5 speed. Gas milage great! Not so good in the snow! Great front buckets, I wish I had them in my Mustang! One and only problem, no tilt wheel. I love this car.

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  Worth the Money - 1996 Ford Contour
  By BobMac - May 13 - 2:00 am

  I think that if Ford stuck with this car for as long as Japanese Co. usaully do, then they would have a winner. It takes time to work out gremlins. If the driver follows the owner manual checkups and replaces the timing belt at 60,000, then you may get a good car for the money. Before you buy: check heater switch, battery life, AC life, headlight connectors.

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  Why not improve the this car? - 1996 Ford Contour
  By GEE - March 3 - 2:00 am

  I wish Ford would continued to build and improve this vehicle. Anyway, the transmission failed at 123,000 and I had it rebuilt at Cottman. Coming home from work, the transmission again failed at 209,000. I wasnt expecting the transmission to fail again. I decided to use Slick-50 transmission lubricant. Some people have warned me about using additives for the transmission. Anyway, none of the forward gears are working. I am considering replacing it with another CD4E transmission because I love the car so much. I have also replaced the timing belt and radiator.