Overview & Reviews

The addition of a Sport Package for the GL and LX models and the inclusion of a standard trunk light are the only changes for the 1997 Contour.

• Great peformance with either engine when equipped with a manual transmission. A worthwhile alternative for those who have BMW tastes, yet are restrained by a Ford wallet.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 36.00

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  1997 FORD CONTOUR GL 48000 MILES FOR $2400 - 1997 Ford Contour
  By ponc1 - August 9 - 1:30 pm

  Picked up the 1997 Ford Contour GL with only 48000 miles for $2400. Found it on Craigslist and the ad had it for $1995. It was mistake because the dealer I spoke to said it should of been $2995. When I brought a copy of the ad they had to honor the sale of the price. The dealer said I got this for a steal and since they didnt want to get in any legal trouble they took my cashiers check right away. The Contour runs great. The interior is in excellent condition. I am happy with my Contour. Just good luck I found this car. There lost is my gain.

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  almost 200k and still kickin - 1997 Ford Contour
  By mickeyb08 - July 3 - 11:31 am

  Excellent mid-size car, bought mine from a junkyard here on an Air Base in Germany for 400 bucks had 180k miles on it and just needed a new set of cam seals, front springs (the new springs were actually in the back seat when I bought it) and had to adjust my parking brake a little tighter, of course I did the usual tune up stuff when I bought it (oil change, coolant and tranny flush, new plugs etc.) but its now at 195k miles and still goes GREAT its pretty quick for what id call a socker mom car and out handles some of the beamers here, those last 15 miles werent easy driving miles either, alot of autobahn @ 100mph+ (that governer at 112mph is a PIMA) overall I cant complain

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  Underrated car - 1997 Ford Contour
  By Wxdog - November 1 - 2:02 pm

  I bought this four-banger ("Sport" version) when it was 3-years old. Its performed very well. Excellent mileage on the highway but just OK in the city. Really good handling was always noted by the critics and anyone who drives my car is surprised by its performance. It has a somewhat bland/odd exterior. Critics complained the legroom in the back wasnt enough. To me its fine unless you have long legs. There is a persistent problem with a switch for the heater/AC control. Its a recall so it gets replaced when it breaks (every 3-years or so) for free. The timing belt broke at about 65,000 miles, a few miles beyond when the manual says to replace it. Be warned.

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  Fix Or Repair Daily - 1997 Ford Contour
  By JR - October 30 - 9:59 am

  Ford - Drive One? I had a 1997 Ford Contour GL that was fun to drive and very fuel efficient during its time. I really took care of it as well. However, throughout my experience of driving it since August 1997, I went through a lot of adversity with it in the long run as far as recalls and parts replacement is concerned. I had a lot of stuff replaced in this car it did cost x-amount of dollars for repairs. Other than that, the car ran pretty good during its time until a major oil leak occured it was gonna cost thousand of dollars to fix. As a result, it was goodbye for me driving a Ford around March 2009. After that, I went out and bought a 2009 Honda Civic LX Sedan as a replacement.

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  12 years and still reliable - 1997 Ford Contour
  By mar - March 25 - 2:41 pm

  I bought it new in early 1998 and the first tune-up according to manual was after 10 years. Never had a problem with reliability. I drove it up and down the east coast and into Canada and I must write that it is indeed reliable and low maintenance. The color looks like it is just 3 years old. I am proud of the 97 Ford Contour After 10 years, it still has no rust and the paint is still shiny considering the it is never garaged.

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  Best ever - 1997 Ford Contour
  By Nicole Lake - January 11 - 10:10 pm

  I bought my car used with 125K and I have to say its been the best car I have ever had. Yes it does have the small minor problems such as leaking in the trunk, and the cupholder. This car gets me to school, work, and through my daily task. This is my first car but there was no way I got robbed with it. I definitley gets up and go when you need it too. Gas mileage is great in this car, I get about 28 mpg to 32mpg. Overall the best car ever.

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  I love this car - 1997 Ford Contour
  By New Contour - August 14 - 1:58 am

  Bought this car new for my wife and it lasted 11 years and 140,000 miles and its still going. Great while the kids were young but too small now. Front seats are suprisingly comfortable for a small car. I wish they still made them because this would be great for my kids when they become new drivers.

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  Ford Folly - 1997 Ford Contour
  By PimpinGT - March 15 - 11:15 pm

  This car seems to go through front tires at an unbelievable rate. The damn cup holders are junk, one broke and the other one is extremely hard to get up (cheap plastic interior). The next problem was that its battery light would come on whenever I accelerated. Then it died altogether. Finally, every time that I would stop at a stop sign or stoplight, the car sounded like it was going to stall. I wouldnt recommend a ford to anyone for any reason except to put it in a demo derby (hell, it may come out running better).

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  Inexpensive Wheels? - 1997 Ford Contour
  By Chauncey Townsend - February 10 - 3:17 pm

  Bought our Contour w/85k miles. Loved driving it. Good on gas, one of my favorite cars out of 15+ owned over the years. Only complaint was at 101k miles the head cracked and ended up costing a small bundle to repair notorious Ford 4 cyl. problem. Just be careful of used high mile Contours.

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  Good car with lots of miles - 1997 Ford Contour
  By Beth - December 4 - 1:23 pm

  I got my Contour in high school and I have been out of school now for five years and I still have my car. It has a lot of miles on it but my Contour has got me where I needed to go and back. I have always been able to count on it.