[Blue Jays]

Hi Sensei Ern-

Wow, I didn't know about that heat-generating windshield in a vehicle from nearly twenty years ago! That had to be a fantastic selling feature for someone considering a long and brutal Iowa winter...and meanwhile toggling between the Taurus and a GM vehicle.

Heck, it has always amazed me that Ford didn't make ongoing improvements to the well-designed Contour SE to make it a huge hit here. A few simple evolutionary changes and they would have had a basic vehicle nearly as nice as a low-end BMW sedan in their showrooms without even going the SVT route:

• increase rear legroom
• amber turnsignals on rear exterior
• more soundproofing material to quiet the cabin
• availability for 16-inch understated rims
• engine in the 220-horsepower range

Americans are growing accustomed to a more taut and feedback-intensive feel to their vehicles. They don't want to "wallow" through turns and bounce along the highways. This is the precise reason that I'm considering the VW GTI rather than an American car for my next purchase.

Come on, Detroit! We want to purchase your products if you build the correct vehicles!

~ Blue Jays ~

[Spktyr]

I think people would have been more receptive to the Contour if Ford had been able to get the UAW to build them properly instead of just slapping them together. The Contours were so bad that parts were falling off them at dealership lots.