 it's my 2nd ford.  1st was a 1994 
escort wagon, 5-speed. i got it at 
100K, drove it for another 40K, not a 
problem, except wear-and-tear stuff.
the contour: i love its 6-cylinder 
engine + 5-speed transmission. it's 
alos sport tuned. i got it at 46k, now 
has 62k and did not have any major 
problems.
my oppinion: if you drive and maintain 
them right, ford cars are OK for the 
price you pay.
sure, honda and toyota are more 
reliable, but guess what: that's why 
you pay almost twice as much on a used 
japanese car.
so before buying a used car, do your 
research and decide what you want: a 
more reliable car for a lot of 
money,or a ford for less.