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.
Early in the product offering, Ford had a real winner on their hands with the Contour model. Car & Driver magazine had it as one of their Top 10 models for the 1995 model year, its first year in production.
The magazine and online tests spoke highly of the vehicle and all Ford needed to do was make incremental improvements to keep it competitive against Accords, Camrys, and Altimas. My experience with my enhanced (suspension/tire) Contour has been nothing less than great. This vehicle only goes to the shop for oil, filter, brake, and tire changes. It saddens me that I have to look to a foreign manufacturer (the VW GTI) this time around to obtain the enthusiast features I seek.
~ Blue Jays ~