2000 Ford Contour Review
Fuel Economy
21 - 25 mpg
Summary
What Edmunds.com says
For pure road-going thrills in a well thought-out package, the Contour makes for a fun car at a great price.
Pros
Solid handling, standard V6 power, affordable price.
Cons
Limited room for rear passengers, pedestrian interior.
What's New for 2000
The Contour LX is dropped, leaving either the Contour SE Sport or SVT Contour to pick from. New colors are offered and an emergency trunk-release handle is standard.
Consumer Ratings & Reviews
Too many problems
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 9 | Build Quality: | 2 |
| Comfort: | 7 | Interior Design: | 5 | Reliability: | 2 |
| Fuel Economy: | 8 | Exterior Design: | 7 | ||
Vehicle
2000 Ford Contour 4 Dr SE Sport Sedan
Review
I bought my SE Sport new in 2000. Performance-wise, it was a fun car: great handling, a reasonably powerful engine, excellent brakes and steering, good 5-spd. I could drive this car fast and whip it around corners with ease. For $15K, it was probably the best handling four door around at the time. However, the car had way too many quality problems: brake hoses cutting themselves, the A/C failing multiple times, strange sounds from the engine, the dashboard warping. I got tired of it-- basically every year I knew something was going to go wrong. This car had a lot of promise but Ford cut too many corners for me to recommend it.
Favorite Features
Great handling. Fun car to drive. Good breaks, steering, gearbox, etc.
Suggested Improvements
Lousy build quality, plain jane dash, cheap stereo.
2000 Ford Contour Sport
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 9 | Build Quality: | 8 |
| Comfort: | 8 | Interior Design: | 8 | Reliability: | 8 |
| Fuel Economy: | 7 | Exterior Design: | 8 | ||
Vehicle
2000 Ford Contour 4 Dr SE Sport Sedan
Review
This vehicle has incredible performance for the price. It's fast and handles great and is comfortable inside. Most fun car I've had since an 86 Mustang SVO. Drove it on a 2000 mile trip and it got 28 MPG as well. I'm surprised there is not more of an enthusisasts aftermarket for these.
Favorite Features
Speed and agility
Suggested Improvements
None
A Good Bargain - It's a Trooper
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 8 | Fun-to-Drive: | 9 | Build Quality: | 8 |
| Comfort: | 7 | Interior Design: | 6 | Reliability: | 9 |
| Fuel Economy: | 9 | Exterior Design: | 8 | ||
Vehicle
2000 Ford Contour 4 Dr SE Sport Sedan
Review
No huge problems with it. Looks like it will hit 200K in great shape! Worst was the cat converter needed replaced at 80K. New breaks at 90K. The car now has 120K and is fine (still 31mpg). Good deal if you figure under 2K for 8 years. I missed the dash recall and mine warped, but I glued it back down with industrial cement. Also I've been in two accidents with it (lost the front bumper, then the rear). The other cars in both accidents were totaled. Mine had very minimal "face" damage. The car seems pretty bombproof to me.
Favorite Features
The V6 is fabulous, for the cost. It's fun to drive, corners fairly well, sticks to the road. For a first car, and a mostly commuting car it's wonderful. I've put minimal maintenance into it (oil changes) and it's been fine. The heater/AC in mine is awesome. Cute little spoiler.
Suggested Improvements
The interior design is lackluster. The dashboard needs redone. The trunk could use some water-proofing. I think I've replaced like six oxygen sensors. The radio system and speaker quality just plain stinks. My check engine light comes on a lot.
Just OK
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 6 | Fun-to-Drive: | 4 | Build Quality: | 2 |
| Comfort: | 5 | Interior Design: | 4 | Reliability: | 9 |
| Fuel Economy: | 2 | Exterior Design: | 5 | ||
Vehicle
2000 Ford Contour 4 Dr SE Sport Sedan
Review
We put very light miles on this car, and for that it's OK, but nothing more. It's uninspiring and feels like driving a tank, with a turning radius wider than the Titanic. The good acceleration comes at such a high MPG cost that it's not worth it. The interior feels incredibly cheap, even for a seven year-old $16,000 car. The blower fan is so loud you can't hear people in the back seat if it's higher than "2" ... and that's added to a lot of road & wind noise on the highway. Thankfully we have had no major problems with the car, but it's the niggling things, cheap interior and design quirks that will keep us away from any Ford product when we replace this car.
Favorite Features
Acceleration.
Suggested Improvements
Better blower - it's way too loud and weak. Better interior design. Tighten turning radius.
1 out 1 people found this review helpful
This has been a solidly reliable car
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 8 | Fun-to-Drive: | 9 | Build Quality: | 9 |
| Comfort: | 9 | Interior Design: | 9 | Reliability: | 9 |
| Fuel Economy: | 7 | Exterior Design: | 7 | ||
Vehicle
2000 Ford Contour 4 Dr SE Sport Sedan
Review
This car has required only 2 minor repairs in 76,000 miles. We drive it daily and have taken a number of long trips with it. It handles well. It is a great size for driving in traffic and the visibility is good all around. It's not over-powered, but there are slower cars out there for the price. Too bad they stopped making this car --- I would buy another one.
Favorite Features
Simple interior and ergonomics for the driver.
Suggested Improvements
More power & 4 wheel disc brakes.
1 out 1 people found this review helpful
View Pricing for Other Years
- 2000 Ford Contour
- 1999 Ford Contour
- 1998 Ford Contour
- 1997 Ford Contour
- 1996 Ford Contour
- 1995 Ford Contour
Research the 2000 Ford Contour
Buying & Selling
Vehicle Details
Multimedia
Ratings & Reviews
- Model Review
- Road Test Ratings
- Road Test Reviews
- Consumer Reviews
- Awards History
- Reliability
- Consumer Discussions
Payment Calculators
Helpful Tools
