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Comparison Test: 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo vs. 1997 Ford Contour
by Kris on 11/13/2008 (17) 
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Porsche 911 Turbo
Pros: Fast, cool, awesome.
Cons: Costs over three times as much as the average American makes per year.
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Ford Contour
Pros: Functional cupholders.
Cons: Everything else.
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The 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo is arguably the best experience in the front seat of a car that one can have. The car has incredible performances, a high level of comfort, and lets everyone you pass by know just how much better you are than them.
The experience of driving a 1997 Ford Contour can best be described as driving a brick through an ocean of pudding while pulling a parachute full of bees. The performance is abysmal, the ride is sub-par at best, and the only people watching you are going to be the people driving nice cars that are fearful that you'll hit them with your pile of shit. After spending a week testing our Ford Contour, editors at Smooth Operator agreed that referring to a Ford Contour as a pile of shit is demining to actual piles of shit.
The 911 Turbo comes equipped with a 3.6-liter flat six-cylinder engine that puts out a rather impressive 480 horses, leading to a 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds. The Contour put out a much more pedestrian 170 horse power with a theoretical 0-60 time of 9.5 seconds, though our test car exploded when it reached 50 miles per hour so we never got to verify this. We got a sense of freedom in the 911 Turbo while we weaved in and out of traffic and passed cars with ease. The Contour gave us a sense of imprisonment, a horrible prison where we were forced to drive a shitty car while stuck behind a cement truck that we could never pass.
The 911 did well in the handling department though there were instances of understeer going into tight turns, which was somewhat unexpected given the all-wheel drive. The Contour faired much worse though, skidding off the road completely and into a deep ravine where it once again exploded.
The interior of the 911 Turbo comes standard with many amenities including climate control, an on-board computer, and 12-speaker Bose surround-sound audio. The seating is limited given the size of the car, but comfortable at least. The Contour came with no noticeable amenities other than a tape deck with Poison's greatest hits permanently stuck inside. The seats are uncomfortable and stained with what is very possibly blood and the truck had a foul stench of death about it.
The 911 Turbo's $135,000 price tag puts it at an immediate disadvantage in this comparison. The 1997 Contours retails for between $2,000 and $3,000, though many can be found at junkyards or police auctions for much cheaper. But you really get what you pay for. The 911 Turbo easily bested the Contour in each test we performed and did not take the lives of any Smooth Operator staffers (Bernie, you will be missed). If price is your only consideration, go for the Contour. But if you have any desire to own a car that doesn't suck, the 911 Turbo is the only way to go.
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