Looking for a car. Maybe one of these?

[Dakota1820]

so i guess finding a midsizs car with a stick is going to be pretty hard to do. and even though i feel like the are more reliable i guess a family car can be an automatic. so with saying that did ford ever fix the taurus transmission issues? if looking at one is there a certain engine to consider? how about the contour? i am also thinking about a crown vic. these are all cars that are cheap but are practical. and how does their counter parts add up the malibu and impala? or dodge whatever . i could do an accord but they're uncomfortable and hold value to well not good for only spending 3500 ish.....

 

[JHZR2]

Why not a plymouth breeze MT? Ford contour came in MT.

 

[Dakota1820]

contour had a manual ? i guess they just weren't very popular? my friends grandparents had a contour when we were kids. i remember kinda liking the exhaust note while driving. lol

 

[NHGUY]

Dodge Challenger......just kidding.Those used are still selling for $20K+

 

[Dakota1820]

lol a challenger would be cool but i bet i cant find one in one piece for 3500

 

[eljefino]

Fusions have manuals but when did they come out? 2006? Good luck finding someone who wants to separate from theirs.

 

[fdcg27]

I can tell you that in our fleet, the Taurus units have held up better than the Crown Vics.
Not speculation, fact, based upon actual use involving three perimeter patrol cars of each model.
The Crown Vic appears to be pretty good in typical use, and I'd have no hesitation in buying a Taurus.
Neither car has especially good interior room or trunk space relative to their overall size, but either can be bought pretty cheaply and should hold up well while delivering mediocre fuel economy.
Want better fuel economy and driving dynamics?
Honda Accord, especially a stick.
Problem is that you can't find a good one of any generation within your price range.
The Crown Vic would also be a very safe car for you, your woman and your kids.
This is not as true with the Taurus.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
contour had a manual ? i guess they just weren't very popular? my friends grandparents had a contour when we were kids. i remember kinda liking the exhaust note while driving. lol


Yes, it was available with the 2.0 I4, 2.5L V6, and I think it may have been the only transmission on the SVT model.

Car & Driver or some other major magazine called the Contour a "poor man's 3 Series" when the second generation came out for 1998 in the US. The SVT became available around 1998/9 and has better handling and maybe a few more HP than the standard V6. Still with 175 HP, the standard 2.5L was no slouch for a small V6 at the time.

My dad had a 1998 SE V6 auto he bought new. It was a good car and pretty fun to drive for what it was, plus my dad routinely got over 30 MPG. Unfortunately, it was hit by a Jeep Cherokee doing over 40 MPH and was never right after that. Insurance stupidly repaired it with almost 80K miles on it, but did finally total it after my dad threatened to contact the state insurance commissioner about it. The "repaired" car was totally unsafe to drive (suspension knocking, electrical issues galore due to broken harnesses that were never fixed). Before that, it was great.

 

[synthetic_crazy]

If you are interested in a Crown Victoria, here is a link to a place that sells used Crown Victoria Police Interceptors:

Used Crown Victorias
I am planning on buying one at this place in a couple years. Their cars are in great condition at a fair price.

 

[Dakota1820]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I can tell you that in our fleet, the Taurus units have held up better than the Crown Vics.
Not speculation, fact, based upon actual use involving three perimeter patrol cars of each model.
The Crown Vic appears to be pretty good in typical use, and I'd have no hesitation in buying a Taurus.
Neither car has especially good interior room or trunk space relative to their overall size, but either can be bought pretty cheaply and should hold up well while delivering mediocre fuel economy.
Want better fuel economy and driving dynamics?
Honda Accord, especially a stick.
Problem is that you can't find a good one of any generation within your price range.
The Crown Vic would also be a very safe car for you, your woman and your kids.
This is not as true with the Taurus.



what about the crown vic didnt hold up as good as the taurus?

 

[Dakota1820]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
contour had a manual ? i guess they just weren't very popular? my friends grandparents had a contour when we were kids. i remember kinda liking the exhaust note while driving. lol


Yes, it was available with the 2.0 I4, 2.5L V6, and I think it may have been the only transmission on the SVT model.

Car & Driver or some other major magazine called the Contour a "poor man's 3 Series" when the second generation came out for 1998 in the US. The SVT became available around 1998/9 and has better handling and maybe a few more HP than the standard V6. Still with 175 HP, the standard 2.5L was no slouch for a small V6 at the time.

My dad had a 1998 SE V6 auto he bought new. It was a good car and pretty fun to drive for what it was, plus my dad routinely got over 30 MPG. Unfortunately, it was hit by a Jeep Cherokee doing over 40 MPH and was never right after that. Insurance stupidly repaired it with almost 80K miles on it, but did finally total it after my dad threatened to contact the state insurance commissioner about it. The "repaired" car was totally unsafe to drive (suspension knocking, electrical issues galore due to broken harnesses that were never fixed). Before that, it was great.



that's sad i hate to see good cars killed. although i will tell you when my moms jeep was sent off for cash for clunkers i wasn't the least bit upset. that thing sucked. but after thinking about it i hated that it didn't help the salvage yard guys or anything. still though that jeep deserved a painful death.

 

[Mr Nice]

Civic or Corolla with 5 speed.

 

[Tuffy1760]

so you want spend 3500 and a manual trans?? Auto trans have come a long way...

 

[fdcg27]

The Crown Vics all had valve guide seal problems after 150K or so, and the oldest was a '97.
Minor things like the AC and the radiators required replacement, along with age items like brake lines, transmission cooler lines and so on.
We have a very savvy full time tech, along with a not our own money budget, so fixing things isn't a big issue for us.
It would be for you.
Between the two in typical, non abusive use, I'd probably pick the Crown Vic for its safety and power advanatges alone.
The Taurus is a very durable car, though.
Fuel economy in typical use is close to a wash, since the Vulcan in the Taurus doesn't make great MPG numbers to go along with its lack of power.
Drive a 4.6 Crown Vic for a while, though, and you'll wonder how the cops caught the average 4 cyl Accord, much less a really fast car.
And yeah, I've drive a couple of CVPIs, which left me really unimpressed.
No way you'd keep up with a V-6 Accord, but then the radio is always faster than any car, and it'll cost you to get out of an eluding charge.

 

[artificialist]

Many versions of the Nissan Maxima had manual transmissions, and some of them are quite affordable now. Enthusiasts love them, so you can find one that was well preserved.

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: Tuffy1760
so you want spend 3500 and a manual trans?? Auto trans have come a long way...


Manual transmission its easy on a test drive to tell if its done.

An automatic can be a ticking time bomb that replacement cost be at least half of the value of a $3500 car.

 

[javacontour]

The MTX75 is a pretty weak manual transmission. Guys with SVT Contours would shatter the diff in the transaxle.

Not that the CD4E was any better. You pick your poison here.

The Zetec was pretty much bullet proof. The 2.5L V6 had a couple of weak points. The water pump had a plastic impeller and it could wear down and then you would overheat the engine. The other weak point was if you were taking corners at high RPMs, such as charging exit ramps at 2x the recommended speed in 3rd gear, the engine would starve for oil. The oil would accumulate in the heads and the pan would go dry. The result was often a spun bearing.

Easily avoided by running an extra half to full quart of oil.

Some early builds had a brittle wiring harness. There was a program to address these.

Early cars had more content. The 95 and 96 had the best list of standard features. Later years suffered from "decontenting" as the Contour was not meeting sales targets.

It was almost the same price as the Taurus, it was smaller and drove like the European Ford it was (the Mondeo.) Combine that with Ford pushing the Taurus for bragging rights to the best selling sedan and it's pretty clear to see why they were not selling.

Fun car to drive. Since they were last built in 2000, examples are at least 13 years old now and are probably well beat!

Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
so i guess finding a midsizs car with a stick is going to be pretty hard to do. and even though i feel like the are more reliable i guess a family car can be an automatic. so with saying that did ford ever fix the taurus transmission issues? if looking at one is there a certain engine to consider? how about the contour? i am also thinking about a crown vic. these are all cars that are cheap but are practical. and how does their counter parts add up the malibu and impala? or dodge whatever . i could do an accord but they're uncomfortable and hold value to well not good for only spending 3500 ish.....

 

[Chrisfromalbany]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
Many versions of the Nissan Maxima had manual transmissions, and some of them are quite affordable now. Enthusiasts love them, so you can find one that was well preserved.


I like this idea best if find in that price range..

 

[meangreen01]

Contours can be had all day for dirt cheap. They're all 13-18 yrs old now so pickings are getting real slim for decent ones. Most were treated as just basic transportation(get in, drive, neglect) so I'd be patient and find a 1 or 2 owner car that took care of it- less of a chance of being a money pit.

Here is an OK example. They are out there-

http://www.carsforsale.com/used_cars_for_sale/1999_Ford_Contour_167227977

 

[Dakota1820]

i do not know to much about Nissans. how are they ? weak points? also do contours have timing belts or chains?