Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Mercury Cougar
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I have a manual transmission, and while I find that under quick acceleration it tends to be difficult getting into second or third, but after careful consideration I don't think that I'm putting the pedal in far enough to engage the gears properly. Again, if it seems out of place, take it to the shop.
Be sure you check out the Cougar Support Group, by the way, because there are a lot of knowledgeable folks in there who may be or have experienced the same stuff you are. It's here at the Town Hall, topic #1528.
The Cougar does not require you to use premium fuel in stock form. The manual calls for regular grade. But if you are running a superchip (like myself), you will have to use premium.
Before I installed the chip, I ran regular and the middle grade with no problems what so ever. Once I installed the chip regular was out of the question. The manufacturer of the chip recommends premium, but I tried to get away with the middle grade, but detonation occurred when the engine was under revved, so I made the switch to premium.
If you have no intention of installing the chip, regular will do fine.
I never experienced that, but then again you said conditions had to be just right for you to notice it.
I'm thinking about pulling the chip out if gas prices continue to rise. Right now super is $1.53 per gallon! Last year it was about $1.20 per gallon. The chip does give me slightly better mileage, but paying for premium fuel out weighs the extra mileage.
I was talking to the owner of the Mobil station I always go to. He said prices should come down by the spring, but between now and then they might go up to $2.00!
Gas prices on the west coast are usually higher then the prices over here on the east coast.
It could be worse, we could live in the UK where prices are INSANE! After doing the money conversions, they pay $5.00 per gallon!
I to am fed up with these land behemoths. Yes they have their place, but not in the hands of the average driving impaired soccer Mom. Most of these SUVs are a joke. 90% couldn't hold up on real world off road conditions.
One of the keys to good, safe driving is "situational awareness". That includes knowing where other vehicles are around you, what's coming up fast behind you, and what's happening on down the road ahead.
If you can't see it coming, you can't avoid it (see NASCAR drivers entering accident smoke at high speed).
Skip G.
My parents have an Expedition, my Dad tows his boat up to 1000 Islands NY/Canada twice a year. He wanted something that could not only tow the 23 foot boat, but could also seat several adults and store their gear comfortably. I think he made a wise choice in vehicles, but he knows the limitations it has, and he is an excellent driver. I do believe these vehicles have a purpose, but they do not belong in the hands of every psycho on the road.
As some of you know I work part time for a local police department. In the last few months we have had several snow storms. As with any storm motor vehicle accidents are very likely to occur. This past weekend I was looking over this quarter's MVA file (motor vehicle accident), and 75% of the accidents that occurred in town during these storms involved an SUV. This tells me 2 things, that there are more and more of these things on the road, and in adverse weather conditions people think their SUV can go through and over anything (I know these two things are obvious to the average person, but the data collected at the PD backed these thoughts up). If you don't drive carefully at all times, no matter what you drive, your much more prone to get in to, or cause an accident.
Personally I think the SUV craze has gotten way out of hand. I know this may sound insane, but I feel new SUV owners should have to take some sort of specialized driving test (both classroom and on the track). I really think this would cut down the amount of accidents on the road and would also put an end to the illusion that SUVs are the go all, be all vehicles that their manufacturers crack them up to be.
One fine Friday evening I was driving from Kitchener, ON to North Bay, ON through the snow belt, and it was living up to its name. There was literally 6" of snow on the road (the ploughs couldn't keep up) and I was driving 60 km/h on a four lane highway because I couldn't really tell where the road ended and the shoulder and ditch began.
I was waiting for an exit where I could pull off, and a Cherokee blasts pass me at 100km/h! The next thing I saw was their brake lights as they tried to slow for a curve, and a big puff of snow when they ploughed thru the snow bank instead!
They experienced the direct, and perfectly predictable consequences, of their actions.
At least your dad has a practical reason for having and using a Bord Extradition.
I would guess that the most towing 95% of the damn things do are the stray plastic bags that get blown and caught underneath. But, decorative covers on the ball hitch do have a certain quaint charm about them
Skip G.
No ball hitch covers here. Dad hates those things. 8-)
Your a seeek little puppy
He pulls the hitch off when it is not in use. Hence the square cannon effect.
No doubt there is a proper place for trucks and suv's. I don't mean to put-down everyone who has one. It's just that they've become "the thing to have" and are unnecessarily clogging up the highways in most cases, in my opinion. They've replaced the big ugly American road barges for many people wanting to impress each other with the bigger-is-better old fashioned car aesthetic. We in fact have a F150 which is primarily my wife's vehicle. She needs it to pull her horse trailer, and we don't have a budget which allows for an extra commuter car, so it gets used for that too. She knows how to drive it and slows down to a sane speed when conditions are bad even though it is a 4X4. So I do understand what you are saying about your father's Expedition. 4wd is a great advantage as long as you drive as if you don't have it. As gas prices go back up we're dreaming about having a more efficient smaller vehicle in addition to the utilitarian truck. Then it can be used for the work it's best at.
I agree, they have become "the thing to have", and everyone is jumping on the band wagon. Almost every manufacturer has cashed in on this market. Even manufacturers like BMW & the latest from Porsche. If I want a sports car, i'll buy a Porsche. If I want a truck, i'll buy a Ford, Chevy, or Dodge. Although I think the Expedition is a nice truck, I think it drives to much like a big cushy station wagon. It's to smooth for something that big. It is so graceful that it gives the illusion of driving a smaller car (does that make sense?). My friend used to have an older Chevy Blazer (full size). It felt like a truck should. It was loud, bumpy, and could hold up off road. It had a purpose, and served it well.
http://www.freep.com/voices/cartoons/022000_mt_450.htm
carlady/host
I got scribbled
Carlady, do you really think a mild entandre' joke is as evil as some of the language and rants left posted in many other conferences?
The others reading it seemed to take it as the good natured kidding that it was intended, and took no offense.
Believe me, no offense was intended!!!
Skip G.
not Cougars.
But, back to hatchbacks. I find it a little odd that cars are classified, in large part, by how many doors or other openings they have. Am I alone in this? One of the nicest things about the cat, though is the hatch. It gives it close to the utility of a small wagon. My old '77 Renault R17 Gordini had the same fastback hatch design with the removable rear shelf. It makes no sense to me that some regard hatchbacks as an economy car trait, at least here in the US.
thanks
The MTX is more of a sports transmission. This is not to say that the ATX is bad, but the MTX allows the Cougar to perform up to it's appearance.
After months of hard work, the Cougar Support Group (CSG) finally has a web site to call its own! The new web site will give the CSG a place to gather and post useful information such as: Install guides, modification reviews, member lists, detailing tips, and other great Cougar related information. The site also features a CSG catalog section. Soon we will be coming out with all sorts of CSG memorabilia (Hats, T-Shirts, Polo shirts, decals, ect.), which will be available to CSG members at a reasonable price.
Currently the site is a bit Spartan and we have a few bugs to work out (as you will see), but we have major plans for it. We like to think of the page as a "living Site". Our goal is to update it as often as possible with useful information that will be provided by the current caretakers, FMC, Edmunds.com, and of course all of the GREAT CSG members. We encourage the members to write in with ideas, concepts, install guides, reviews, and anything else that other CSG members may find useful. We will be coming out with a member information submittal procedure very soon, and we will make it available to all CSG members. Right now we would like a lot of feedback about the general layout of the site. Please send us an email with your comments and opinions.
Some of you may be asking "why does the CSG need a home since there are a number of Cougar clubs / sites set up?" The answer to that is simple, the CSG has been around since January of 1998. That is far longer than any other currently developed 1999 and newer Cougar club. The wealth of information this group has built up is tremendous. We thought it was about time the CSG gathered together it's members and resources and formed a true to life auto club. We have already attracted attention from FMC and we believe we can continue to develop this group in to the number one (1999 and newer) Mercury Cougar club.
Currently Edmunds.com is setting up an owner’s conference and the CSG will be the first group to be moved over to this area. We have been in touch with the staff at Edmunds and are hoping to be able to customize this area to suit the CSGs needs. If at anytime these two sites become redundant, we will take down this site and divert everyone back to Edmunds owner’s conference. Either way we have full intentions of continuing use of the Town Hall area and our CSG conferences. We feel the current posting board is a very efficient and useful means of communications. Not to mention the fact that it is closely monitored by the Edmunds staff, which will save us a lot of headaches down the road.
Currently the site is posted on my AT&T free web space, hopefully this is only temporary. We are hoping to eventually move the site to a URL of its own. If anyone of you can help us out with this situation, please contact us at the e-mail address listed below. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
And without further delay, I present you with the CSGs new web site!
http://home.att.net/~cougarsupportgroup/index.html
Sincerely:
Robert J. Kibler AKA "Badulah" & Joe Pilkington AKA "StageLeft"
Cougar Support Group Caretakers
PS – Send all site comments and opinions to: CougarSupportGroup@worldnet.att.net
(And as a late addition, I think Cadillac drivers are just as bad as mini-van and SUV drivers.)
Anyway, glad to be among friends here...I'm going for the manual tranny... NOTHING is as bumpy and rigid as the Camaro Z28 I'm replacing with my new kitty kat.
Glad to see you've found us, here on Edmunds.com. Be sure to also check out the Cougar Support Group (CSG) in the new Owner's club section.
Hope to see you there!
Go over to the sports & convertables section, find the Cougar Support Group file(1677), get caught up on several thousand postings, and then find the new CSG/Owners Club in the new Owner's Club Conference.
You're going to find that the Cougar is a big change from a Z28. Not as fast in a straight line, but a much more spohisticated and better handling road car. More trunk space, too!!!! And the insurance cost difference shold pay for the cat in a couple of years.;)
Skip G.
My previous car was an 87 IROC-Z, so I know where your coming from. The Cougar isn't as fast as my Z, but the Cougar is a much more refined automobile. As Stageleft pointed out, please check out the Cougar Support Group (CSG) at the above link, but also be sure to check out our club web site at: http://home.att.net/~cougarsupportgroup
You will find TONS of helpful information in both areas. I hope to see you there!
-Rob
AKA "Badulah"
CSG Caretaker
Thanks for the warm welcome. I will *sigh* miss the off-the-line jump I get from my Z, but the thing has been about as dependable as a used car salesman. Its been in the shop more than I've driven it. And I think I've just outgrown the speed thing for a while, and want a little cushiness.
On my way to check out the support group and all that...thanks again!
BTW, at the dealership where I'm purchasing my car, there's a really nifty bright red Cougar with custom red and black leather interior, ground effects and hand pinstriping, in case anyone's interested in a one-of-a-kind...it's pretty awesome looking.
Where did you see that custom Cat? Which dealership? I wonder if it is a Roush model? If it is, they look nice but the performance is exactly the same, with the exception of tighter springs. Lots of extra eye candy.
The custom is here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at a dealership called Uptown Motors. Not sure if it's a Roush, but I'd be happy to find out when I'm there if you like. Pricetag is right around $23K. Oh, wouldn't THAT be nice...*sigh*
-Amber
Thanks for the help!
-Rob
I'll be in the dealership this weekend, hopefully signing my papers, so I'll be happy to look for you and find out what I can. I wont be back in the office at my computer until Monday, so I'll let you know then.
A.
Can you post your finding in the CSG main topic so all of us can review it?
Thanks Again!
The customization to the Cougar (which has now been snatched up by a local guy and entered into a racing club) was done locally. It included two tone red/black leather with an embroidered Cougar emblem on the headrest, ground effects, a custom spoiler, chrome wheels and a few other little things here and there...I'm still trying to find out from the dealer the exact name of the guy/company who did the mods ( he didn't know off the top of his head, and seemingly neither did anyone else..you'd think SOMEone would for pete's sake..). I'll let you know if and when i find out the details.
Amber.
P.S. - I got my Silver kitty on Monday, so I gotta go now cause I gotta go cruise around.