<p> SRB Equipment team has a wide range of capabilities with the heavy-duty truck, semi-truck, and trailer repair also nationally recognized for its quality and commitment to outstanding customer service. Nice looks, high utility, and a full range of passenger-car safety features netted healthy sales. Having made its mark with hot Cobra Mustangs and rapid F-150 Lightning pickups, SVT was asked to realize the Contour's full sport sedan potential for 1998. Marketers doubtless hoped the new model's image would boost sales for the rest of the line. Ford was somewhat wide of the mark with the erstwhile replacement for its old truck-like Aerostar minivan. Volume then held at around 400,000 through 2000. But Taurus still relied far more on fleet sales each year than its leading Japanese-brand rivals, so Ford earned somewhat less on every sale and owners received less at trade-in time. Ford was more on target with a redesigned Escort that rang up more than 655,000 sales for model years 1997-98 and more than 100,000 each for '99 and 2000. The previous Mazda Protege-based design returned with a smooth new wrapper and a 110-bhp 2.0-liter single-cam Zetec four-cylinder, thus ousting the old CVH engine at last.</p><br> <br> <p> A zippy $1495 SR package was added for 2000 with an extra 13 horses, tuned suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, alloy wheels, performance tires and special seats, but it did nothing to spark sales. But nothing seemed to help, so Ford pulled the plug on Contour after 2000. Sibling Mondeo continued, however, remaining quite popular in Europe -- enough to be accorded a full redesign a few years later. With buyers still flocking to well-equipped Japanese cars, Ford decided to ladle on all kinds of standard features (including dual dashboard airbags), but this only pushed Contour quite a bit upmarket from Tempo, which had been relatively cheap. A modest reskin followed for '98, when the two low-line models were dropped and the LX and SE became better dollar values through careful realigning of prices and standard features. Models comprised two sedans and a wagon at first, a single sedan after 1999. All aimed to provide nothing more than economical yet stylish transportation at a low price, which was all many people needed. Warning: Do not start negotiating for a new car without pulling your credit first, because unscrupulous dealers will claim that your credit score isn't good enough for a decent interest rate on a loan.</p><br> <br> <p> SVT had been formed in the early 1990s as a <a href="http://veteransrepair.com/">hudson semi repair</a>-autonomous part of the Dearborn organization, charged with souping-up various vehicles for sale through selected Ford dealers. A notable exception was the SVT Focus, arriving for 2002 as a two-door hatchback pitched toward the fast-growing "sport compact" market. Collectible Automobile magazine thought the SVT Contour so good that it would one day be a coveted keepsake. A comparable 3-Series BMW or Mercedes-Benz C-Class cost thousands more, yet the SVT Contour was easily their equal on a road course or a dragstrip, running 0-60 mph in about 7.5 seconds in most road tests. Get to a safe spot away from the main road if you can. Unfortunately for Ford, the result must have scared off some buyers, for Taurus promptly lost its standing as America's top-selling car line and would never get it back. I had a truck gel up on Rogers Pass in Montana at 1:00 am in January 1993. The mean temp was -42 F. The shop mechanic had done a repair on a cross-over line. Topping the line was a new SHO with 235 bhp from a 3.4-liter V-8, another Ford-Yamaha collaboration. To complement the chassis, the 2.5 Duratec V-6 received higher compression, deep-breathing exercises, and other measures to achieve 195 bhp (later 200), delivered through a mandatory short-throw five-speed manual gearbox.</p><br> <br> <p> The value-oriented GL sedan and wagon got an updated Vulcan pushrod V-6, while the nicer LXs were treated to a 3.0-liter version of the twincam Duratec V-6 with 200 bhp, considered by many buyers to be well worth its $500 premium. The Mazda, for example, offered both engines with manual and automatic transmissions, while V-6 Fusions were confined to automatic. And, of course, either could drive through an optional four-speed automatic. I guess if Online Car Donation received that type of used truck donation we would need to partner with a truck accessory or truck part company because we would have to test drive it once a week to keep the engine working. Are the mechanics who will be working on your truck certified? The mechanic will use original parts and tools to ensure your truck is working at optimal efficiency. Our tools and products are extremely well-built and tough, specially made for the difficult times. We are also a stocking dealer for Kendon Stand-Up™ Folding Motorcycle Trailers. Trucks are very high-tech nowadays and require experienced technicians to diagnose issues. This could be a blown gasket or issues relating to the fuel tank. But certain rivals, notably the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, now had a slight edge in ride ­quality, a big one in build quality -- and were fighting fiercely for Taurus's number-one sales spot.</p>