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Cougar Support Group - Chats On...

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    camelardcamelard Member Posts: 171
    Repeat after me: Neon, Sunfire, Mustang, Tiburon. Neon, Sunfire, Mustang, Tiburon. Cougar? So how many chicks with Cougars showed up at Lake Placid? Duh! Most of us "chicks" with Cougars, found them appealing because they are not "chick" cars.
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    fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    Gambit's numbers tell me one thing. That Ford failed to advertise the Cougar after it's first year of release. I know we all have talked about this before, but the tremendous drop in sales from '99 to '00 was drastic. Very Sad!!
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    coolchickcoolchick Member Posts: 174
    Just got back from a jaunt to my sister's house and turned 10K on the ride back home. She's still humming along nicely. My brother and brother-in-law both had to check under the hood and commented on how much they like the cat.

    Saw a white kitty with Jersey plates on 95 N coming back home today, near Aquia around 2:00. Is it anyone in our group? If so, hello!
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Morning All!!:
    So how was everyone's weekend? With the exception of 3 inches of snow on Friday, nothing is new. My Cat is suffering big time because of all of the snow we have gotten. She looks white with all of the road salt. The temp was up around 40f on Saturday, but I was unable to wash her. I feel terrible, but it is kind of pointless to wash her since my street is still snow packed, and the weather report is calling for more snow this afternoon and tonight.

    I need to move to a warmer climate during the winter months. Maybe Florida or California. O-Well, I doubt that will ever happen.
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    gambit293gambit293 Member Posts: 406
    I can attest to that good ol midwest salty look. What a difference it makes! In Ohio, the salt gives all cars this deathly, faded look. When I came back to Cali, it looked like everyone had just washed their cars (or had thrown away their old ones and bought new ones...ppl are too rich here in northern cali...)

    fish8:

    Actually, blueovalnews reported different figures from JD Powers: 40,343 and 56,831 respectively for 2000 and 1999, which is still about a 29% drop. Supposedly, it is "typical" for a hot sport coupe to have much slower sales after year one.

    I've never seen a Cougar commercial or ad in any media, though I've only been paying attention to
    cars and car ads for maybe half a year now..
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Where the heck is everyone today?

    image
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    malibumalibu Member Posts: 155
    I'm here...tax season is gearing up so I can only check in once in a while for the next few months. My kitty turned 6,000 miles on the way to work this morning. Still runs Awesome! Saturday night I went out to dinner, got a window seat where I could watch my cat in the parking lot, this young oriental gentleman pulls in driving a white eclipse GSX, backs up, looks at the cougar, parks next to it and gets out. He looks all around my car and then comes in. As I was walking out of the restaurant he was still waiting to be seated. As we drive out he is looking out the window of the restaurant, bent over with his hands cupped on the glass...he watched my car all the around the parking lot. It was quite funny to see someone that drives a nice car himself go to so much trouble to get a good look at mine.

    Re: Salt..does the salt on the roads hurt the paint? do you have to coat the undercarriage with something special to protect it? I know I worry about the salt air living so close to the ocean, but never experienced what you go through.
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    99sunfire9999sunfire99 Member Posts: 6
    I'm here, mainly "lurking." The weather has been snowy here too, and my car has been so dirty. Luckily it was 50 degrees Saturday, which felt like a heat wave, so I was able to wash my cat.

    malibu
    I know what you mean, my cat gets lots of stares too. :)

    Rob
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    daexpertdaexpert Member Posts: 140
    He guys,
    I'm going to pay the dealer a visit later this week and have them check out the windshield, I'm sure they're gonna say that something hit while I was driving, but at least I'll give it a shot.

    I decided to take a close look at the tips of my Pace setter this weekend so see how they are holding up this winter that has been really chilly and even though it haunt' snowed much, we still have ice and salt from the last snowfall we got like a week ago. Well anyway, guess what I saw? RUST!!! Ye, I saw rust on the outer tips and a bit inside of both tips, and I've had that thing on for about 3 or 4 months now. Any of you guys with Pace setters (not too many on here probably) having this problem? I shouldn't even be seeing signs of busting yet, correct? Or is it normal for them to rust a bit?

    I called them today and even though the guy was a bit rude at first, he will send me a replacement for one of the tips, but I think I'm gonna call him tomorrow and ask him to send me the other tip because it seems like it's catching up to the other one (in lustiness that is). We'll see what he says, he might refuse but I'll give it a shot and see if they back up their warranty. Hopefully this isn't happening to any of you guys, but if it is, let Pacesetter know for sure! At least the car is running fine as always. =)
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    daexpertdaexpert Member Posts: 140
    Sorry about all the spelling errors, I was in a hurry and didn't check for them.
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    stageleftstageleft Member Posts: 391
    Daexpert:

    Actually, if I remember correctly the Pacesetter is not made of stainless steel. Wasn't it an alloy or something? (I can't remember) Anyway, it is pretty typical for a lower-grade metal to rust within the first year especially if there's a catalyst of some kind, i.e., salt/sand (especially the way they "waste" the stuff here in D.C. area) but I'll say this: My Borla shows zero signs of corrosion. I think that even though I haven't had the chance to wash my Cat in several weeks that the tips still look great. The chrome is holding up and the pipes themselves are looking really good, even covered with a thin coat of salt and sand. Let us know though, and if you feel a bit spry, you might want to call Pacesetter to see what their take is on this. They might want to see it or get a second opinion, but they might just tell you this is "normal". Good luck!

    Coolchick:

    You've just now only crossed 10K?!?!? You need to get out and drive more! ;^)

    Everyone:

    Take care and Happy Cougaring!
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Malibu:
    The salt has no long term effects on the paint if you keep a coat of wax on the car and you keep it realitivly clean. Last night it rained and all the salt was washed off. My Cat actually looked good this morning. I believe there is an undercarriage coating option (I think the dealership offered it), but I didn't opt for it. When ever I wash my Cat I always spray the undercarriage thoroughly with fresh water.

    ALL:
    Tonight is our first chat session!!! We will be starting at 4pm PT/ 7pm EST. The session will last for one hour. There are a few things that I would like to discuss with all of you.
    Such as:
    - a spring get together
    - Setting up a west coast chapter / get together
    - Leo Capaldi's racing schedule

    It will be an open forum and we can discuss anything that any of you would like to bring up. In the future we are hoping to have a few guest speakers. Once we have established guest speaker dates, I will post them for all to view.

    image
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    dasaint1dasaint1 Member Posts: 230
    Fish8:

    You mentioned the drastic decline in Cougar sales from '99 to '00. Perhaps the fact that the '99 Cougar was on sale since early '98 has a lot to do with that. Basically the '99 model was on sale for both '98 and '99.

    It's really disappointing that even the Camaro (which will soon be discontinued) outsold the Cougar for '00. I blame that on lack of advertising (which everyone has mentioned already). And the fact that Merc. took their sweet time coming out with the S didn't help either.
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    "Took their sweet time", actually their still taking their sweet time because the "S" still hasn't been introduced.

    We're still waiting..................
    image
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    All:
    Once again I'm leaving the office early!!! Hopefully I will speak to some of you tonight during the CSG chat session.

    See you there!!!
    image
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    fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    I would venture to guess that the "S" will NEVER be released. The longer they wait, the less interest there will be with the new model.
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    dgeminidgemini Member Posts: 161
    I also think that the new Celica GTS probably stole Cougar sales. Notice, Cougar sales and GTS sales practically flip-flopped between 99 and 00.
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    camelardcamelard Member Posts: 171
    It was fun but definitely overcrowded. Let's hope the I Club bunch are better organised next time and that they didn't enjoy themselves too much at our gathering:)
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    coolchickcoolchick Member Posts: 174
    I was very PO'd at the I-club folks hijacking our chat. VERY.

    Edmunds really needs to give lefty and the badman god powers so folks trying to do that in the future can be booted off. Geez. Can't they tell time?

    And where do you get all those funny little happy face men to post them on your messages?
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    gambit293gambit293 Member Posts: 406
    They were coming out of the woodwork! Subies left and right! WRX here, WRX there. I tried to fight them off, but there were 5 more for each one I smite down. I tried to fight the good fight. I tried to carry the torch, but in the end, I was beaten and downtrodden. And then, as all hope faded... I woke up... doh! no, I didn't wake up. I will be haunted be subies forever...

    Seriously, folks... that was frustrating. By the last 20 minutes of "our chat," I was just swinging blindly, babbling like a madman about the cougar, practically making stuff up just to take up room in the chat buffer: "Oh yea?? Well, the Cougar, yea, it can do that, and more... and ya know what else?? Yea, you suck. Takes one to know one. Cougar cougar. The Cougar can fly too. Literally. Yea."

    It's no fun to show up at a support group meeting to get criticized and burned instead. That's not very therapeutic. Whew! I sure hope next week is better organized.
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    All:
    We just completed our first official CSG chat. To be very honest, it left a lot to be desired. We did not have our own area and we were grouped in with the very early Sub Crew (their chat was supposed to start after ours). The chat manager told me that we will have our own room next week, so hopefully this will settle the confusion.

    I'm looking forward to next weeks chat. I would like to discuss the upcoming CSG gathering, and I would like to discuss trying to set up some sort of West coast chapter. And a few other things. Hopefully those of you who could not attended tonight will be there, as well as the members who attended this weeks event.

    Cool chick:
    I can not reveal my sources!!!
    image

    Actually I am "borrowing" them from another site, but I am hoping to get them put on either the CSG server to my personal web space for all to use.
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    dgeminidgemini Member Posts: 161
    Enjoyed talking to all of you who were at the chat!

    I was just realizing that I have been chatting on Edmunds for almost a 2 years now. At first I was on the Contour chat because I was looking for a 4 door before I discovered the Cougar, a virtual fraternal twin to the dearly departed Contour.

    It was these posts that led to my buying my car. Though I have had wandering eyes over the last year and a half, I still love my car and I am glad I bought it. It's features and value for the price were hard to beat. Now with all of the incentives and stuff it is even a better value.

    Only time will tell what happens to the Cougar. I hope Mecury doesn't abandon it. When I was a kid the Cougar was Mercury's marquis car. A live growling Cougar was even the symbol used to represented the entire brand.
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    danadana Member Posts: 36
    Hi All!

    Well we had the first Cougar Support Group chat for you tonight, and it didn't go exactly how we planned as Badulah expressed... you WERE run over by members other than the CSG Group. I tried to make it better by extending your chat until 8pmET hoping that you would then have time to talk amongst yourselves, however.. many people opened both browsers and were in the Auditorium and the Edmunds Chat room as some of you might have seen.

    I'm sorry for any confusion tonight. This is the first Owner's Club chat we have had, and the first back-to-back chats we have had. We did not anticipate 250 people showing up!

    I just want you all to know that we value you and hope that you come next week. We have set up this chat for your group, just as we have set up the Subaru Crew's own chat. I want ya'll to have a place to talk about your own topics and will do everything in my power to ensure that you get that.

    What we have implemented for next week:
    -The name of the room will be called "Cougar Support Group" though we have to utilize the Edmunds Chat logo since it is a "public" room.

    -The chat we have following is a chat about the Detroit Auto Show by one of our Editors so will not get as big a turnout as the Subaru chat did.

    -Myself and the new Chat Coordinator will have Hosting tools to "boot off" any people that are causing problems (e. profanity, etc.)... We had originally wanted this to be an unmoderated chat, with Badulah Hosting,though I think it might be good for one of us to lurk in the background as a nonparticipant to handle any problems that may arise...at least at first.

    -If you would like to...we can change the time of your chat to 3:30-4pmPT/6:30-7:30ET in order to not back up right next to another chat( which will be in the Auditorium).

    I really think with the name "Cougar Support Group" plus our Hosting Tools, that there won't need to be any other changes...but I DO want you to know that we are here to work with you and make it an enjoyable experience! :)

    I thought it was great so many of you showed up. We look forward to you coming next week. See you then!

    If anyone has further suggestions, please email me. Thanks!

    Dana S. Livingston
    Manager, Community
    Town Hall
    Edmunds.com
    dlivingston@edmunds.com
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    burnsmr4burnsmr4 Member Posts: 318
    Man...I'm glad I missed the chat. Yikes! What a nightmare. Can blame the Subaru fans too much -- they have much to talk about.

    The new boxer-six in the Outback and Legacy wagons.

    The first US introduction of the Impreza WRX (a car that will molest a Porsche given the right circumstances).

    Later,
    burnsmr
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    Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    I intended to "sit in" on last night's chat, but was unable to make it. :-( Hopefully, next week.

    There is a new discussion in Smart Shopper. Perhaps some here would like to offer comments?

    Mercury Personal Consultant - Tell Us About Your Experience

    KarenS
    Owner's Club Host
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    fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    Just consider yourself lucky!!! :-) Just kidding!!
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    krnchkrnch Member Posts: 127
    Here in Ottawa we are having a VERY snowy winter.

    What are your opinions on brushing snow off of painted surfaces of the car (roof, hood, etc.). Is this likely to scratch the paint? Do you think the bristles are soft enough that a layer of wax will provide adequate protection. Just wondering if any fellow 'northern' CSG members can speak from experience.

    I was going to appologize for not attending the chat session last night, but it sounds like I only missed a big headache. I'll try again next time.

    A.
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    dasaint1dasaint1 Member Posts: 230
    Hey, Krnch, I missed the CSG chat yesterday as well. Actually, if it's held only on Tuesdays, I'll probably miss all of them.

    Perhaps, we can have the chat on a different day and have it revolving (one day, it'll be on a Monday, next time on a Tuesday and so on), so as to accomodate everyone who has different schedules. We can keep it at the same time but have different days. Also, this is a good way of avoiding the Sub crowd. Maybe next time, we'll be with the Mitsu Eclipse crowd. That should be a riot.

    I realize it might cause some confusion to some people, but the way things are going around here lately, confusion rules!!!
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    danadana Member Posts: 36
    Hi we need to keep the chats the same day and time so that it isn't confusing to people. We also have the URL to the chat page done up for you guys (See the link at the top of the Subaru Crew Board). Information on it would have to change all the time, something our art and production team simply do not have the time to do.

    The Subaru crowd was there for the Subaru WRX chat directly following the CSG one, thus the crowd. Shouldn't happen again. :)

    Any questions? Email me.

    Dana S. Livingston
    Manager, Community
    Town Hall
    Edmunds.com
    dlivingston@edmunds.com
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    camelardcamelard Member Posts: 171
    Krnch,

    I have always been a bit concerned about scratches from the typical snow brush. What I use now is one of those big push brooms. It is softer, and added bonus, faster. This is also what most of our local dealerships use. You can imagine how long it would take to clear all of those cars on the lot using a regular snow brush.

    The down side to the push broom is it takes up more space although mine does fit in the back seat with the brush end on the floor and the handle up near the ceiling on the other side.

    Just a suggestion.

    Pat
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    camelardcamelard Member Posts: 171
    Is there one particular night of the week that you are more likely to be available than Tuesday's?
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    dasaint1dasaint1 Member Posts: 230
    Camelard: Mondays, Thursdays or Fridays would be better for me. I realize that changing the date might leave someone else out.

    And we can't have a revolving date, according to Dana. How about having it on two different days? Would that be feasaible?

    Krnch, maybe you could try using a blower (like the ones they use to blow leaves off the ground). That should blow the hell out of the snow without touching your car. I've never actually tried it. I don't even have a blower. And it never really snows that bad here in NYC.
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    krnchkrnch Member Posts: 127
    Thanks for the suggestions. I may try the softer broom thing. While the blower sounds fun, I can imagine the ridicule I'd get using it. My neighbours and co-workers already think I obsess too much over my Cougar. Too much? Not possible.

    I'm going to the Ottawa auto show tonight. It's usually pretty unimpressive, but I hope there's a Cougar S there. Back in '98 they had a 1999 Cougar there (before they reached dealerships). It was my first real-life Cougar sighting and 'love at first sight'. Corny, I know.
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    danadana Member Posts: 36
    yes I'm sorry about not being able to do revolving chat days, but we have other chats scheduled throughout the week, so that would not be an option. Tuesdays were chosen by consensus way back when I first proposed the idea. However...if another day is better for everyone, then we can probably change the day of the week. Let me know!

    Thanks everyone!

    Dana S. Livingston
    Manager, Community
    Town Hall
    Edmunds.com
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    krnchkrnch Member Posts: 127
    I went to the Ottawa auto show last night. No Cougar S. There was a 2001 Cougar though. It was the first I've had a chance to really look at one. I think the interior changes are great. The silver accents look pretty cool and the new centre console is a big improvement. On the outside, the new 16" wheels are nice looking, but I bet they're even harder to keep clean. I don't like the new headlights as much and I think the original front and rear facias blend better with the new edge design than the new treatment. Still a sweet looking car though.

    They did have the new Corvette Z06, Porsche 911 Turbo, BMW Z8 and other nice cars. Oh to dream...
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    gustafscgustafsc Member Posts: 361
    How do you like the California weather now?????

    Tornadoes, waterspouts, torrential rain, 20'+ surf, 40+" of snow in the higher elevations. Should start seeing mudslides in the next few days or so.

    Thanx, but I'll take a little snow any day.

    Krnch: Speaking of snow, I've been using a normal snow brush for three winters and haven't seen any scratches or wear on the paint. Still looks good, or will when I can get it washed :-(

    Skip G.
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    krnchkrnch Member Posts: 127
    That's good to hear, Skip. I've been pretty impressed with the paint job on the Cougar and its resistance to scratching. I know what you mean about the dirty car. We seem to be getting just enough snow every day to keep the roads wet. It's impossible to keep my car clean.
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Krnch:
    Like Skip I have been using a standard snow brush on my Cat. I have seen no scratches because of it.

    Skip:
    I got your email. I'm glad Edmunds is working again for you. It's nice to have you back!!

    image
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    dasaint1dasaint1 Member Posts: 230
    Thanks for the consideration, but I wouldn't advocate changing the date. That might end up leaving someone else out. Right now, with my schedule, I'm unable to participate in the Tuesday chat. But my schedule should change by springtime (definitely by the summer). If we still have the chat then, I'll be there.
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Have a GREAT weekend everyone!!!

    image
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    lmigliorelmigliore Member Posts: 148
    No messages on any Cougar board? Is this actually true, or has the execrable Town Hall software completely collapsed?

    This is shaping up to be yet another contribution to the Cougar's demise.
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Morning All:
    I hope everyone had a great weekend.

    Who will be attending the chat session tomorrow? Please let me know.

    Thanks!
    image
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    99sunfire9999sunfire99 Member Posts: 6
    Good morning, I hope to be able to chat tomorrow night. I was there last week, but didn't really have time to chat.

    Rob
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    fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    I will most likely be at the chat tomorrow night.

    I was up in New York(Long Island) this past weekend and saw only 2 Cougars the entire time. After seeing all the cars covered in salt, I am VERY glad to live in Atlanta. It looks as if all the cars in Ga had just been washed. Gotta love not having salt on the roads.
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    fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    You seem to be the topic of conversation over on the NECO board. You may want to check it out. Its all good!!!
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Fish8:
    Say what?
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    All:
    Check out the new Ford Mondeo at www.ford.co.uk
    it looks really GREAT!! I wish FMC would make this available here in the US and Canada.
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    coolchickcoolchick Member Posts: 174
    I should be able to make the chat tomorrow night. Will certainly give it my best effort.
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    fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    On newcougar.org your name was referenced in one of the threads. The topis was about the Capaldi racing website. They mentioned that the CSG website was linked but not the NECO site. Your name came up in reference to helping someone out when they were looking to buy a new Cougar. They said that they probably would not of bought a Cougar if it were not for your assistance.
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    coolchickcoolchick Member Posts: 174
    Well, my fella was a bit surprised by the Cougar last night. I had to make a run to the emergency vet hospital with my kitty -- she's okay, lost a tooth, but I thought she was poisoned or something because she was drooling so badly.

    Anyway, he followed me over there (in his dyno'd-at-372 hp Audi SC 60+) and was amazed at the pickup the Cougar has and it's agility in traffic ........or amazed that I'm actually a decent driver, I don't know which :)
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