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 41 through 50 of 68.00

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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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  96 contour - 1996 Ford Contour
  By ptemplin7 - July 15 - 2:00 am

  To many repairs plus the dealership is as bad as they come. Way to many warrenty repairs. Selling tires and others had to be replaced only 30K miles in. As someone once rated this this is a poor quality car. Hopefully they have corrected in later models.

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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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  Fun car as long as its running - 1996 Ford Contour
  By Charles Derdiarian - March 25 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this car for two years now and have thoroughly enjoyed its handling and power. The V6 provides strong accelaration despite its low horsepower rating. The build quality and cars reliability is terrible, though. I have gone through 3 water pumps in the last year ($250-400/pump). My first blown pump almost cost me my engine, as there is no temperature warning light and blown pumps often dont trip the coolant warning light. I have also had frozen valves ($400), gone through 3 catalytic converters (luckily covered by CA emissions), and a busted dimmer switch that shorted out my dash ($150). I will never buy another Ford.

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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.

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  STAY AWAY - 1996 Ford Contour
  By ShiltZone - February 15 - 2:00 am

  I had a lot of problems with the car after 60,000 miles. Around 70,000 to 80,000 most people who own this model will need to get a new transmission. The check engine light now around 90,000 is constantly on. I am about to get rid of it and I dont even want to sell it to anyone, I am trading it in for a Honda Civic.

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  Black Beauty - 1996 Ford Contour
  By My Black Beauty - January 15 - 2:00 am

  One of the best cars ever! I love it, but very cold weather starts are a bit of a challenge. Styling is phenominal, plus the five speed V6 is very potent. This is my first manual, so learning wasnt too tricky.

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  My Contour - 1996 Ford Contour
  By tjimler - September 12 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car several months ago and have enjoyed it immensely. It has had no serious problems, just regular maintenance. It is a joy to drive and I get a lot of comments on how nice it looks. The 5-speed takes a little getting used to, but makes the ride much more enjoyable than an auto. Overall I would give this car 5 stars for a cheap, fun, good looking ride.

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  Couldnt Wait to Get Rid of It - 1996 Ford Contour
  By JoyP - September 6 - 2:00 am

  I had a lot of problems with the car. The first day I owned it the check engine light went on, that should have been a sign that the car was a piece of junk. By the time I got rid of it I didnt even want to sell it to anyone, I traded it in to the dealer so they could deal with it.