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 51 through 60 of 68.00-
Too bad I cant buy another one - 1996 Ford Contour
By PAMA - August 6 - 2:00 amI love my contour! It now has over 100K miles and is still going strong. It has always started and besides minor irritations like the cup holder and recurring problems with turn signal I have enjoyed this car. Amount of mileage has me shopping for another car - I hate the focus too bad I cant get another contour.
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1996 Ford Contour GL - 1996 Ford Contour
By wmagon - July 30 - 2:00 amI originally thought that I was got a great deal on this car off the Ford B Lot, but am starting to question it. I purchased the extended warranty, which covered the total cost of the "blown" engine ($5500 at the dealer) at 58K Miles, but since then, there has been a vibration in the steering wheel (motor mounts ???). The car is in the shop now needing a new battery and accessory cable plus distribution box. Estimate given was over $1,000 for the repair. Overall though, its been a very nice ride and great ergonomics/human factors.
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Problems - 1996 Ford Contour
By SamanthasPain - July 22 - 2:00 amThis car has been nothing but trouble. I have had many sets of brakes, new calipers and new caliper kits, new rotors. Several recalls for the blower and the blower switch. I had all new fuel lines and fuel sensors, o2 sensors replaced on 2 occasions. The cup holder holds 1 can drink and has been broken for a long time and it cost $80.00 for a new one. I have had to replace the moonroof motor. The switch for the windows is broken and it is $50.00 just for the part. If this car had been driven hard before I got it I could understand. But, I bought this car new. It had 7 miles on it when I drove it from the lot. I will NEVER buy another Ford product.
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Good for the first 86,000 miles... - 1996 Ford Contour
By schumah1019 - July 8 - 2:00 amMy wife and I have had the Contour for 3 years now and have had no major problems. Oil changes every 3,000 miles, and a tuneup and injector cleaning about a year ago. It has been quite dependable, and my wife often puts on 300 miles a week of highway driving. But now its getting to the point where it seems like things will start to go wrong. Its losing power, dies occasionally after starting it up first thing in the morning, and the shifts from the automatic transmission are not nearly as smooth as they used to be.
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Good and Bad - 1996 Ford Contour
By mikemc - July 8 - 2:00 amThe Contour I purchased has great mileage and the car is extra clean however there are some problems worth mentioning.The Contour has a history of blowing the timing belt around 80,000 miles as well as air conditioning problems around 50,000 I havent had thse problems but I did have to replace the relay,radiator,and fan in the motor before ever driving the car.The other problem that I had was the design of the cup holder in the middle console.It broke and now Ford is replacing the whole item with a new item for 80.00
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First, last & only Ford I will ever buy - 1996 Ford Contour
By CouldaBeenBetter - July 5 - 2:00 am1996 V6 LX. Bought mine with the Ford 100,000 mile warranty and I am sure glad that I did. I estimate that I had about 12 to $15,000 worth of repairs under that warranty. Hood, roof & trunk painted twice. 4 Catalytic Converters. A/C, Power Seats & Right Power Window all failed. Just about every sensor in engine has been replaced at least once. Constant thump from rear suspension that was never fixed. Persistent stalling problem. Finally at 110,000, I dumped $2500 into it to try to fix the stalling problem to no avail. Traded it in for $1500 and bought a Camry.
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Worst car I ever owned - 1996 Ford Contour
By veryunhappy - July 3 - 2:00 amThis vehicle has had too many problems to mention. It has had the electrical system replaced twice. All the A/C vents inside are broken. All the cup holders are too flimsy. The A/C fan components have been replaced at least once.
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Good dependability even with annoyances - 1996 Ford Contour
By Carter - June 14 - 2:00 amWe purchased our Contour used in 1997. It has been dependable overall. The feel and performance is good. Even with 110,000 mile the 4 cyl engine has some pep. Majority of problems have been electrical in light switch (recall), heater blower switch (recall) and bad door light switches (on third one so far) to name a few. Other items was broken front coil springs (again a recall) and annoying belt squeal that wont go away even when replaced. Ford has been very good at identifying and replacing recall items. Ford needs to establish a better electrical design team to eliminate the vast electrical problems. They fester as small but annoying items.
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Great car, excellent value! - 1996 Ford Contour
By cobraal - May 6 - 2:00 amOur 1996 Contour SE Sport, bought in 1998 with 28K miles, was my wifes car until 6 months ago. She now has a new Mazda Tribute and I get to drive the Contour everyday, which I love! This car is FUN TO DRIVE! Its tight, handles and brakes great and the exhaust note makes you think you are going faster than you are. If it had the 5-speed trans (wife cant drive a stick), I would replace the front seats, add 17 wheels/tires, add 30-40 hp, and I would keep it until the wheels fell off.
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dependable - 1996 Ford Contour
By Hunt - April 29 - 2:00 amMy wife and I bought our 96 contour with 45k and drove it to 98k in 2 years. The car was dependable but seemed to have a ghost, blinker blinked fast occasionally, interior lights sometimes worked, died if went in reverse and braked quickly sometimes, the front wheel popped when turning all the way a direction, rear made a rubbing noise over bumps, med/hi worked on blower if turned slowly. Shifter coming out of drive into park was rough. No major problems just routine things.
