I dont know about any of the new contenders, I am a TC Encore person myself.
BobCole is right though, resale value sucks, but they very high quality.
I have two Encore frames myself, and six barrels. Never had a chance to handle a new contender, used to own an older one in .223 though. Got rid of it when I got the Encores.
I paid about $600 total for my encores, complete with a barrel for each, and about $200 for each additional barrel. I dont know what the prices are like now, I have had mine for a couple of years. So far, I have barrels for .450 Marlin, .30-06, .22-250, .22 Hornet, .243 Win, and .308
If I remember right, the Contender accessories are a bit cheaper, but I am not quite sure, havent looked at anything for them for quite a while. The Encore is designed to take higher pressures, which is why you see it chambered in more of the heavy rifle cartridges.
Here is one of my encores, in .450 Marlin, compared to my new .460XVR