Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
I'll never forget my last service visit to that dealership. The only service drive technician on duty that day showed up 45 minutes late and then blamed me for coming in on a Saturday with a simple key fob reprogramming issue. The technicians were furious with her.
Hope everyone's OK. Is Badulah OK? He never posts in here anymore.
Regards,
burnsmr4
Other than that, as you noticed with your local dealership, the one I bought mine at has no Cougars left either. There is one in the used car side, and I've seen others in used car lots elsewhere, but new ones seem to be even more rare around here than the older ones.
I have seen the new T-birds though, and what a gorgeous car! The only problem I have with it is the price tag ... because I can't afford one.
I am back from Korea. I have been in the process of bringing my Cougar back up to speed.
Due to abuse from my ex-wife I have had to:
*Replace all 4 tires (they were never rotated so the fronts were bald, and the rears were warped).
*Spend over 5.00 vacuuming my car removing pine needles and all kinds of other crap from the interior.
*use rubbing compound and touch up paint to repair a large nasty scrape on the driver's side rear bumper( I now no longer have clear coat on that area!) I also had to use touch up paint to repair nicks on the rear bumper.
*shampoo the seats and headliner (the dumb b*t*h had lipstick stains on my passenger seat!).
*Wax the car (I had cleaned twice but until I actually waxed it I did not realize it was only the clear coat making it shine!)
*Have the insurance company assess damage caused to the front bumper of the car when she went off a curb (the right front bumber is ripped off where it connects to the body of the car, and the rubber lip that was underneath the front spoiler is totally gone!) I am waiting for the check from the insurance company to get that damage repaired!
However, despite the damage to the front bumper the kitty is looking good again! Until I mention the damage to people they don't even notice it.
It is sounding better too! I cleaned my KKM, and added a straight through resonator to my custom dual exhaust. When I installed my custom dual mini-turbo set-up the stock resonator was causing to much back pressure. However my buddy helped me realize that my system was too loud and sounded too much like a fart pipe. The resonator has giving it a quieter mellower (but still sporty) tone.
Anyway, thats enough from me. It is good to see all you Cougar owners and ex-Cougar owners hanging in there.
71,000 miles and still going strong! Other than a replaced throttle no serious mechanical problems!
I am still seeng Cougars all over the Fayetteville, NC area.
I am still surprised at how good the Cougar still looks after 4 years of existence! It is still one of the best looking cars on the road.
Like stageleft I plan to get my money's worth out of the Cougar and drive it for as long as I can! I really believe this will still be a good looking car 10, 15, and even 20 years from now!
Hope it holds up!
Take care everyone, and Happy Cougaring!
I recently came very close to trading my Cougar. My wife is due with our first child in 6 weeks, so I began looking for a Cougar replacement with a couple more doors. I ended up signing an agreement to purchase a 2002 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE. This car really moves! With the 5 speed it's one of the fastest cars I have ever driven. 0-60 in 6.3 seconds - that's Boxster territory! I like the styling and it is very quiet on the open road (a good thing, I was thinking, for keeping the baby asleep). I figured that if I had to trade a sporty car for a familymobile, the new Altima (with the 240 hp V6 and 5 speed) was about the sportiest thing going in my price range.
That said, the dealership had to terminate my purchase agreement because they cannot get anymore 2002 Altimas with the options I wanted. Upon inquiring elsewhere, I discovered that no more of these Altimas are coming to Canada in 2002 - period! (I've sent a very dissatisfied letter to Nissan Canada, but that's another story). So I've decided to keep driving the Cougar for the time being. Who knows, maybe I'll just keep driving it indefinitely and use my wife's Civic as the 'familymobile'.
On the whole, I've enjoyed my Cougar experience. I must say that being part of the CSG definitely added to the enjoyment of Cougaring. It was cool to be part of this 'club' and I enjoyed meeting several members at the Lake Placid get-together in 2000. I have had my share of problems with my car, the most recent of which was having to replace the front bearings. The car remains fun to drive and I agree with everyone else here that it remains one of the hottest looking cars on the road.
Best wishes to all...
Krnch.
To other Cougar Wannybees... We have had our '99 for 3 years and have not had any problems. We have had reasonable service from our dealer.
Any how if you would like to have a reunion down near you we would be very interested. You would be requied to request rain for the weekend to make it official
Mouse: Good to hear from you. We should do another get-together. The next time Badulah and I are getting together is at the end of July when the Speed World Touring Championship comes to Washington D.C. If you go through http://www.speedvisionwc.com and find the link for schedule and then click the link for the D.C. race, it's from July 19-21. It should be a blast. I'm not sure how much tickets are going to cost us, but I definately want to see Leo race again in person.
Happy Monday everyone, and Happy Cougaring!
My little kitty keeps rolling right along without a hitch, sputter or glitch. Now about 22,350 miles on her and needing a wax job, but I'll get to that soon. BF is going to let me use his garage for waxing in the shade. He is unfortunately impervious to brownies, so I'll get to do the bulk of the labor myself
I'm also wanting to see the races in D.C., and so is he. I'll check with him; because of his racing connections, maybe we can get in on a group discount? Worth a shot, right?
So I'm finally taking my car to the dealership for the four recalls: Heater Blower Resistor; Mis-routed Battery Cable; Brake Lamp Harness; Fuel Filler Neck. Strange that I waited this long, but in my mind if it's not broken, don't mess with it. I just have to go to the dealership anyway because the check engine light came on last week. Doesn't seem to be interfering with the mechanicals of the car, but I want to be sure that it's only a sensor and not something more. Anyhow, take care everyone and talk to you soon.
Happy Cougaring!
He did say that there may be some luck checking with the Cadillac dealerships because Caddy is sponsoring the races. Also suggested the American Le Mans Series website for other options. And since Leo Capaldi is racing a Cougar, a possibility exists that his organization may have a block of tickets that, while not necessarily discounted, will be available if the event is close to selling out.
From the AutoWeek Car Board:
http://www.autoweek.com/carboard/index.mv
(Look for this week's car board article.)
Enjoy...or shrug and wonder, "What can we do if Ford can't do better than this?"
Later,
burnsmr4
Really enjoying driving the kitty around now...It is driving great with the four new tires and it sounds great with the recently modded custom exhaust (added a resonator).
Plus, just got my check from the Insurance company, kitty will be looking good as new within a few days!
It has just been so darned hot here in NC! Today my temperature gauge has been hovering between 98-100 degrees! And since I am trying to save gas I have been driving without the AC on....thank God the humidity hasn't kicked in yet!
This is going to be some summer!
Happy Cougaring
I'm very distraught that they think in that article that the Cougar is an overpriced SVT Focus. It's totally not related to that car at all, how dare they make that comparison! The next issue I have is with the comparison between the Cougar and the conglomeration of other cars they say the Cougar resembles. First off, the other cars resemble the Cougar because the Cougar was out first! The sad Cat never gets the recognition because Mercury never advertised it. Geez. You'd think the automotive industry would at least get their head out of that hole and see the light. Yes, it's sad that it's too little too late with the XR. Yes, it's sad that Mercury never had the guts to put the power behind the appearance. Yes, it's sad they killed our beloved Cat. And yes, it's sad that the auto-writers can't get their facts straight. I hate reading things that are inaccurate. Bozos.
Anyhow, I have one piece of advice for anyone in the Washington, DC area: Never take your car to Cherner automotive for repair. They don't take care of the car while it's there, barely do enough to say they've done the requested work, and damage the car everytime you take it in.
End of rant.
Happy Cougaring!
Anyhow, not much else happened this weekend. Rather quiet for once.
Take care and Happy Cougaring!
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Donny
And, if that is the case, then I suggest beefing up the suspension before going offroad, and maybe get a skidplate too :-)
If you're interested in TSD Rallying, check out the SCCA homepage.
www.scca.org
Donny
If a Pontiac did you well on the last one you participated in, then the Cougar should do really well.
Happy Cougaring!
You know the one's where an old guy is yelling at a parked Celica, telling it to slow down; or the one where a dog chases a parked Celica and runs into the back of it, etc.
Why couldn't Mercury have advertised the Cougar like that.
I actually had another person come up to me and say they didn't know my car was a Cougar!
Sigh......
Mercury should have done a lot of things they did not as far as advertising goes. They also should have done more as far as projected and proposed performance goes (cough, cough, Cougar S, cough) but they chose, instead, to make the Mustang at the Flat Rock plant while they retool Detroit for the '05 Stang. Oh well, what are we going to do? They didn't listen to us when they asked the questions, and now that the car is officially dead, they probably don't want to hear from us again. I'd like to thank them for the years, but they're probably not even keeping up with our discussions anymore, either.
Anyhow, I plan on buying all the performance goodies I can get my hands on before the aftermarket gives up on us, and then I'll have a street screamer for the future because I'm sure we'll see that our model Cougar's design is timeless, and will live long into the future. I'm just not sure the car will.
Take care, and Happy Cougaring!
I just did a roadtrip of 2,300+ miles and she performed perfectly. Extremely comfortable even when I spent 12 1/2 hours in her one day. Great long distance cruiser. Plus 32 mpg with my V6 auto for the trip! Most of the highway miles were between 75 and 80mph as well. Can't complain about that.
Long live our New Edge Cougars!
Happy Cougaring!
Congrats to Krnch on the future addition.
Stageleft: welcome back:):):):):):):):):)
Hope all are well.
First,
when i test drove the cougar, (all i know how to drive is automatic) the engine didn't seem as powerful as i would have thought, particularly when already going 35 or 45 MPH. Has anyone drive both a stick and automatic and can tell me the difference in speed or power? also, some of the reviews i have read about it say that the manual transmission(i'm hoping to get a manual and learn) gear shifting is not very smooth and not very refined. any input?
Second, are just a few little things. the rear view mirror seemed to be very low on the windshield and was distracting, but only when going around turns when i'm looking across the windshield to the right. does it just take getting used to or is it a pain? also, the visibility through the rear view mirror was considerably less than the camry i own right now. i know there is less glass and its at a different angle, but does that just take getting used to also or is it a pain to deal with when changing lanes?
Anyone that can help with some advice or personal experience would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks folks.
herhnycherio: I've heard that the manual Cougars feel much more powerful than the auto. I know auto in general are slower and feel less powerful. My Cougar seems to pretty spunky in the speed range you mentioned though. The rear view mirror has never been a distraction for me, but maybe that is just me. The biggest thing for me was adjusting the mirrors so the blindspot was as small as possible during changing lanes. Good luck with a Cougar if you get one. I love mine! Hopefully it will last for decades!
I'm getting ready to road trip at the end of the week. And my kitty may get a lot more miles on it than initially planned. Seems my mom wants to go visit her sister, so there's another 10~ hours of driving that I'll be doing.
Yes, the manual transmission Cougars are significantly livelier than the automatics in all speed ranges.
I've driven many stick shift cars over the years, and the Cougar's manual transmission shifts beautifully (smooth and refined). Frankly, I've never read anything to the contrary.
The rear view mirror on the windshield of the car that you test drove may have been adjusted too low. It's a simple matter of nudging it up to the spot that you are comfortable with. Don't forget that there are TWO ball and socket joints on the mirror mount, providing a wide range of adjustment.
Skip G.
I once tried walleye, but it couldn't stick to the glass.
Camelard: On my recent (and final) visit to the butchers of Cherner, they loaned me a Focus wagon. Pretty peppy for a 4-cylinder and great handling! I wonder if, in that model car, if the longer wheelbase added to the respectable cornering? I had to try it out you know ...
Anyhow, take care everyone and Happy Cougaring!
At least it was a real good diesel: turbocharged and intercooled. Made tons of power, buckets of torque at all RPM (as I recall, it revved to 4000) and easy to shift. It really flew along the autostrada and got about 40 mpg if I figured my liters and kilometers right. Why isn't this engine available in the US?
Handling was, as you noted, good. Besides the long wheelbase, wagons have a lot of weight towards the rear, which is a good thing for a front-drive car.
But it wasn't an Alfa.
Stick driving is quite different from automatic. You do develop a relationship with what the car is doing, and what you have to do to have it doing what you want to do, when you want to do it.
Once you've developed the joy of stirring your own, you'll never go back.
The main problem with the ATX in the Cougar is it's programming. It was optimized for the CAFE (fuel economy) regulations, and doesn't even have a performance mode. The MTX (if used properly) is about 2seconds quicker to 60, and much better when you want to do any passing. You just put it into the gear you want, and it happens NOW!!! Not when the system decides that your open throttle call for a lower gear, and then leisurely drops into it.
My 99's shifting was a little tight at first, and downshifting to 2nd was really stiff. 30K miles later, it's smoothed out, and works fine. The shifter for a front whell drive will never be as smooth as a rear drive due to the length of cables and cable routing required. Of course, the best of all possible worlds would be having the shifter come straight out of the top of the box, but they don't do that any more (reminiscing about the good old days, when I was young). :-(
Skip G
Skip G.
Seriously, the prevalence of manual shift cars in Europe may have influenced their banning of cell phone use while driving.
Upgraded from an auto to a man and from black to laser red. Love the new styling tweaks.
I know I love my 2001.
Anyhow, gotta run. I'll update when I can - have a great holiday weekend otherwise!
Happy Cougaring!
Skip G.
Hi all. I'm back after a 900 mile jaunt around my state and the neighboring one. Averaged 29.8 mpg (A/C on all the time) and 57 mph. Not the faintest peep of a problem with my Adelaide.
Also took advantage of Mom's garage while I was visiting. Brought all my car-care goodies with me and spent the morning of the 4th in a truly American fashion, washing and waxing my car. Was going to do a double coat of wax on the top surfaces, but by the time I got the first coat finished up, the temp was up to 100 degrees and I decided a second coat could be added another day.
She shur dolook purty and shiny now
Welcome to Cougar ownership! I hope you have a long happy time of ownership.
Enjoy your Cougar and may it be as perfect as mine. I haven't had any problems with my 2001 C2 thus far.
David
Glad you decided on the Cougar! Also good that you got such an awesome interest rate. Sounds like a great deal, and I know it's a great car, so I wish you all the best with you ownership experience. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
Hey everyone! How's it going?
Talk to you all later, and Happy Cougaring!
I'm still happily Cougaring in my '99, having just turned 30K miles.