Good First Car?

[stangkid05]

Hey guy,
Its that time. First car time. What you think? Is this a good car? Im looking at the SVT's. What year should i get? I can drive a stick so dont worry. Give me any suggestions or comments.

Thanks alot

Sean

[beyondloadedSE]

Id try and get the 99-00 year SVTs since they came with 5 extra hp and the better looking E1 wheels. You can pick them up pretty cheaply considering the resale value of the contour is jack diddly.

[sooboss]

the silverfrost looks great.. and its easy to keep clean.

[Duesey]

Originally Posted by beyondloadedSE

Id try and get the 99-00 year SVTs since they came with 5 extra hp and the better looking E1 wheels. You can pick them up pretty cheaply considering the resale value of the contour is jack diddly.

Getting a newer 99 or 00 model isn't necessary, the 98's were fine. There were really 3 itinerations of the SVT Contour, 98, 98.5, and 99. The 00 was identical to the 99. Here are the basics:

98- First run, 195 hp, bulbus looking 5-spoke wheels. Initially designed to drive like a very rear biased RWD car, despite bing a 60/40 FWD. In fact, these early cars had SO much tail out tendency, that Ford decided that had over done it leading to...

98.5- New wheels, made to look like mini SVT Cobra 5-spokers. Suspension redesigned to provide less tailout tendencies, but not to push like your typical FWD car. Minor changes made to trottle bodies to increase response, minor brake changes, tires changed.

99/00- Intake filter revised, netting 5 extra hp and 3 lb-ft of torque, suspension revised again to provide more neutral handling balance, tires widened by 10 mm (from 205/55-16 to 215/45-16), throttle bodies revised again to provide even crisper go pedal response. Green added, new interior color, tan, added to original color option, midnight blue.

As far as seat of the pants feel is concerned, the latter two cars drive almost the same, 5 hp is not something you can feel, it will only show up in the form of tenths or hundreths of a second on an ET slip, or a blip on a dyno run. The suspension revisions are only felt in hard charging autocrossing. The early 98 cars are beast though, and can be a handful. They don't quite drive like early 911 Turbos in terms of which end they prefer goes first, but they will break loose with relative easy (at least more ease that the other two generations will). Note, none of the cars have traction control, so that isn't even something you can turn on. Personally, I have a 98.5 SVT Contour, and it has treated me alright. It isn't very fast, SVT Contour just plain aren't fast straight line cars, but it will shock you in the turns since it handles like car costing twice its paltry price. It is also one of the best sounding cars I have ever driven (which says a lot, since I have driven everything from Ferrari's, to Porsches, to M-Cars, to AMG cars), it growls with tenacity and lets out a exhaust roar that will make you want to turn down the radio when you enter the highway!

[beyondloadedSE]

well, a little late in response seeing this was posted 5 months ago but in regards to what you posted.

Originally Posted by Duesey

The 00 was identical to the 99.

99/00- Intake filter revised, netting 5 extra hp and 3 lb-ft of torque

Not true! The 2000s were dropped in displacement from 1999-2000 from 2544cc to 2499cc. To make up for the lost in cc, they did however give the late 1999-2000 upper intake manifold a second round of extrude honing. As far as i know the intake filter and TB were left alone internally. 65mm was standard on all year svts and they kept the same conical filter. But this was not how they netted the extra 5 hp.

Note, none of the cars have traction control, so that isn't even something you can turn on.

Also, traction control was not an option on SVT contours, BUT did happen to make it on a couple peoples svts over on www.contour.org. Perhaps it was a mistake.