zippity

Looking for another daily. Have noticed the prices on these vehicles are very low compared to their main counterparts. You seem to get a lot of car for a little money. Has anyone had any experience with either car? Which one would you choose? Any mechanical issues that are prevalent in these vehicles? Thanks.

ElTianti

I like a hatchback, so Focus.

CG

I had a 2003 SVT Euro Focus. It was a very nice DD and the Recaro seats were awesome. I put nearly 40K on it with no real problems. My local dealership service dept was a major problem although another dealership gave me great service. If you are looking at these you owe it to yourself to check out the Euro version because the upgrades that came standard are well worth the search.

I copied the following off an old Ford Press Release: (the pics are my former car) The European Appearance Package includes every optional content package available on the SVT Focus. Features include: the 290-watt Audiophile Stereo System which includes a six-disc, in-dash CD player, premium speakers, and eight-inch subwoofer; the Winter Package which includes traction control, heated front seats, and an engine block heater; a power sunroof; and high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps.

zippity

I really like those seats and that package, but I think I would be really stretching the budget to get that specific model.

CG

Just checked autotrader and there are a couple with relatively low mileage priced within about $1000 of the others. Still, a budget is a budget...

cdelena

I had a Contour SVT and found it an entertaining but practical vehicle. Never had a problem with it and the next owner drove the crap out of it for several years before wrecking it. It actually was the car I sold when I bought my S2000 over ten years ago.

YoG628

I had the Ford Contour SVT and, enjoyed the car a lot. I never had any major problems in the time i owned it. It pulled pretty good on my friends 93 vtec prelude once I put a cat-back exhaust and, cat-less y-pipe on it.

rockville

I also had a CSVT and really miss the car. The motor was a gem. Very nice handling car and more power than the Focus. That said, I would have a hard time picking the CSVT over a Focus SVT. Condition of course would mater a lot for both car. The Focus has big props in my book since the hatch is VERY handy. Do keep in mind that without service neither will live up to their old reviews. I had my Contour for about 55k miles. The shocks had lost their edge at that point. The car still handled well but not like it did when new. The suspension bushings are also likely to be on the weak side. The mileage wasn't great but not horrid either. I think the Focus is the better driver's car but perhaps a cheaper feeling car overall. However, the Contour started off as a more upline car when it came out in 1995. Unfortunately the market reality was Ford couldn't get Accord/Taurus money for a car of that size and they cost reduced the car quite a bit. Remove gas door pop, heated side mirrors, vanity lights in the doors etc were all stripped from the car. You can probably add much of it back in for little money. The overall interior, while about on par with the '98 Accord does show some cheapness. Basically it was a quality chassis that was cost reduced rather than a cheap chassis that was dolled up. The Focus was a nice econobox chassis that was treated as a nice econobox. Thus it seemed just right for the job. Overall I think I would go for the Focus SVT in part because I sold my CSVT for it's lack of good cargo space. The trunk wasn't small but the rear seats and doors were tight and at least once I couldn't fit a large box through the doors thus couldn't take it in the car. Prior to the CSVT I had a hatch back so it was a rather rude awakening that something that could fit inside the car couldn't be moved since I couldn't get it in the car. Then again the FSVT isn't as powerful as I would like since I really would like my DD sedan thing to be as powerful as the CSVT.

After all that, I think if I could find a good one, a 5 door FSVT would be my pick.

BTW, a great mod for the FSVT is dropping in the CSVT engine.
http://www.newcougar.org/forums/gara...us-svt-v6.html
No idea how hard the mod is.
A "better" mod is dropping a Ford V8 into the car... not sure about the mileage but Ford will sell you the parts.

zippity

Ended up picking this up instead...Deal I couldnt pass up. Thank you all for the input on both the previous cars. Let me know if you have any experience or advice for this car. Love all the helpful information on this forum. (2003 CL Type-S 6-speed)

Smurf_9K

Well, it looks like you made your decision, but I just sold my heavily modified SVT Contour a couple months ago. Much more fun than the land yacht CL, but at least you'll be comfy