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Cougar Support Group - A New Start
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I LOVE MY COUGAR!!!
I just came back from Blacksburg, VA. It was about 500 miles so my kitty has a total of 1,049 miles now. It did great, no problems at all, and the best part is that I didn't stall the car in front of my friends!
Coolchic, nope, I'm not 40+, not even close actually. I'm 23 and not blond. Certainly would NOT smoke in the car. But there are a lot more kitties around than ever before.
I'm planning to check one out myself, but first impressions tend to be overrated. Just looking for a lil feedback. Thanx for your responses
Catscratch
I on the otherhand have been more than satisfied with the interior of the vehicle, only interior problem I see, is the trunk liner, although I dont sit back there much.
DaExpert, Glad to hear you had a great weekend, and now your break-in period is over, yippee for you... let er rip. Da Expert Get your oil changed!
It was recommended to me by FMC, not only my Dealer.
The motor for the sunroof sounds a little weak, and I have to ignore it when I am opening the roof.
I especially like that the switch for the sunroof is lighted--a nice touch I did not expect.
With less than 2,000 miles on my Cat, I have no problems to report. I smell none developing at this time.
Cheers!
Rick
I know I'm not the most impartial person when it comes to my kitty but, I love every inch of her try as I might I just can't find any thing that I can complain about.
I still kiss and hug my kitty every night.
Couldn't be righter
>I'm taking my first Cougar test drive this Sunday. >Stopped by the dealership yesterday and
>really liked what I saw. I have a few questions:
The Cougar is fine to see, but it's even better to drive. You now know this for a fact.
>1) Everyone owning a 1999+, how has your >reliability been?
Nothing has fallen off mine yet.
>2) A review I read said the v4 was more sporty
>than the v6. I'd like the sport package so I was
>considering the v6 anyhow. Any comments on the
>difference between the two engines?
I recall reading that too, and it makes sense that a lighter engine improves handling on a front-wheel drive car. However, the Cougar is a heavy little critter and it needs all the horsepower it can get. I haven't driven the 4cyl, but my V6 is plenty sporty.
>3) I am going to add ABS brakes but was curious
>was the extra $250 traction control option was and
>if its worth it. (I drive on a hilly mountain
>highway daily - Hwy 17 Santa Cruz).
You are enduring terrible punishment. Hwy 17 is a cruel road and no one should have to drive it daily unless they work for Microsoft. I drive it occasionally and the Cougar is splendid. No terror, always in control. I feel as safe as one can feel on a twisty 4-lane road with narrow lanes and semitrucks and ice at the summit. I don't have traction control and I don't use the brakes (The 4wheel discs that come with the sport package are as good as brakes get but on 17 I just shift down).
>4) I like the interior a lot, much more than the
>new Celica or Tiburon. One thing, does the drink
>holder break easily? It looks flimsy.
It looks like it should break. I never use it.
>5) I'm going to order the exact car I want as I
>don't want a spoiler. Should I demand to NOT pay
>dealer fees such as advertising costs?
? I was just glad I got credited for spoiler delete.
The Cougar is a great car that grows on you as you experience how well it works in all conditions. I have had mine for more than a year and it's still a kick to drive.
My '99 V-6 Cougar continues to vex occasionally. I had the window/door adjusted for the NINTH time in less than a year last week. Also had the catalytic converter replaced as part of a TSB. Actually, my car wasn't covered, but the dealership offered to change it out using the TSB as a guideline. Seems fine now. Dashboard rattle continues under the passenger-side airbag...disappeared 2 seconds BEFORE I turned into the dealership to have it looked at.
MWS and lug wrench - MWS0250, thanks for getting your colleague to contact me about the lug wrench. Apparently, my owner notification address hadn't been updated in TWO moves and TWO changes of address. I DID receive the lug wrench, and I managed to send off the change-of-address card. Thanks again for your help. You continue to be a invaluable and welcome resource to the CSG.
August drive to factory - If anyone from the Atlanta area (fish8?) is interested in caravaning to the factory in August, I'd be interested. Post your interest to the CSG.
Tires - I never did catch all the problems people were having with the OEM BFGs on their cougars. Did the problems include the 15" wheel package? What exactly did the problems entail? My car has recently developed a very rough ride -- seems tire-related. Thanks, in advance, for any insight into the tire issues.
That's about it. I'm not really keen on having to keep multiple tracks on multiple CSG posting areas, but I guess it will work. Dell made the same change to its discussion board months ago, and I had to abandon the thing. Too much information spread over too much website space.
Have a great week, unless you're an active stock market investor :-)
Sincerely,
burnsmr4
Welcome to the CSG! I think you will find all of the Cougar related information you are seeking in this group. We have been here for well over two years, and we have attracted attention not only from Edmunds, but from Ford Motor Company.
As my esteemed colleague "Dasaint1" has already stated, go with the V6 Cat. I have driven both and would recommend the V6. I'm not saying the I4 is a bad engine, but the V6 gives the Cougar the true sports coupe feel. And yes the cup holder is worthless, but like someone said way back at the start of the CSG, "If you want a good cup holder, buy a mini-van". I personally never use mine for fear of it tipping over and making a mess. For my complete review of the Cougar and a number of after market parts, check out the CSG home page at:
http://home.att.net/~cougarsupportgroup/index.html
Dasaint1:
Thanks for the kind words. Its nice to know you guys appreciate everything we have been doing, but I must give credit where credit is due. Stageleft is really the man behind the scenes, he is responsible for a great many things, and without him I would still be trying to learn how to make hyperlinks in Front Page. Not only is he extremely talented, but he has the patients of the Pope. I'm not the easiest person to work with.
Like I said in a previous post, things are slow going, but we have some great plans for the CSG.
As far as the free eats thing goes, from the looks of it we won't even get that. MWS0520 and Jade are raining on our parade. Sheesh, you think FMC would cut us a brake, especially if we sign waviers and make an extra special promise not to take them to court if we all get in to a 15 car pile up at their test track. Hey i'll even wear a helmet and my seat belt. 8-)
Catscratch:
I really like my factory installed sunroof, and I get a ton of use out of it. I just wish it was slightly larger.
jrp6977:
From what I understand the seats will be changed in 2001. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I feel when compared to other cars in its class, the Cougar's interior is much nicer. The Eclipse is extremely cheap in comparison, and the Civic Si is extremely spartan. The interior of the Cat is very unique and stands out on its own. I have even heard that FMC received an award for the innovative dash vents.
burnsmr4:
Long time no post! Glad to hear from you, but i'm sorry to hear about the problems you have been having. I hope you keep in contact with us, I would hate to think our new area drove you away. If you have some time, email me if you have any better suggestions for the structure of the CSG.
All:
Not much to report from the weekend. It was rather crappy out for most of the weekend, so I didn't do much driving, and I didn't get a chance to detail the Cat. I have to make an appointment with the Ford dealer to take her in for some minor issues, but i'm rather nervous. I haven't gone back to a dealership after my incident with the EVIL Ken Smith. I'm coming up on 30,000 miles, so I have to get everything in order before I hit 36,000, but like I said, i'm hesitant about the entire thing.
I don't have the sunroof, so I can't make any judgements on it -- other than it's nice to have an open top once in a while.
I've had my Cat since July '98 and there have been zero major mechanical flaws (I had the check engine light come on once, fixed -- no problems).
It's my understanding that you can take the Cat to any FMC L/M dealership because it's a Ford after all.
Good luck to those getting ready to order/purchase their Cats! You will not regret it from owning the car to the great support you'll get from all of us, it's worth every penny.
Take care all, and Happy Cougaring!
And today was the first time that I actually let the kitty ripped.....and it was awesome. The power from the manual doesn't compare to the automatic. It felt a lot faster, aggressive, and it even sounded better. Loved it. Thanks guys
The reason is because there is a rev limiter which prevents the engine from hitting its true red line. The stock limiter is set at 6250rpm. You will not be able to rev higher than that unless you install the superchip.
The only regret you will have concerning the sunroof/moonroof is not getting it. Get either the factory or aftermarket, whichever you prefer, but definitely get it. I've never had a car before that had sunroof, so now I'm enjoying the hell out of it every chance I get.
MWS:
What's the exact date and location for the CougarFest? I'd love to go. I'll try and work my vacation around it, hopefully.
http://www.cougarfest2000.com
considering the purchase of the new 2000 Cougar and noticed that Edmund's indicates there is a $1,000 customer rebate in effect for the Cougar from 4/1 through 7/5/2000. Can anybody tell me if this is a national customer rebate incentive and specifically is it available in my area--Northern Virginia (Washington, DC metro area). Thanks for your help. I have learned quite a lot about the Cougar from the posts on this web site an really appreciate it's existence. It was a big factor that has had a major influence on my decision to go with the Cougar.
Could we see reviews of the KatzKin leather interior and the aftermarket moon/sunroof posted on the CSG home page?
I think this is a GREAT idea! But since I do not have the leather and have never seen it, I can not do a review on it, but anyone who has it is more than welcome to do a write up on it and send it to me.
If anyone is interested in writing this or any other review for the web site , please contact me via email.
I believe you can find that information on Ford's website at www.ford.com, otherwise you might be able to find the specific details on www.mercuryvehicles.com.
Good luck, and we're glad to have you with us!
The $1000 rebate is alive and well in the WDC metro area. I got my kitty at Cherner LM Annandale just at the end of February and got the rebate. Hope to see you among the CSG regulars!
Thanks Coolchick. Just out of curiosity, what did you think of Cherner Lincoln Mercury? How did they treat you, etc. Do you recommend them. Also, were you able to negotiate a good deal with them in addition to the rebate? Do you have any comments or experience about any of the other Lincoln Mercury dealerships in Northern Virginia? Thanks again Coolchick. Your help and advice is much appreciated.
Gary
I was pleased with Cherner LM. Stageleft has also dealt with them and really likes the Cougar service guy at the Annandale location but was less pleased with the sales staff. Overall I'd say my deal was so-so, but they worked very hard to find a car that fit me right. (I had a hard time finding seats that suited me.) I mean, I really put the sales staff through their paces and they came through that with flying colors.
I can't recommend Brown LM in Fairfax. They have a very laissez-faire attitude about their customers from what I've heard & seen. Some evenings it is impossible to get them to answer their phone!
Hope it helps
I welcome all the newcomers to the CSG enjoy your cats!
My kitty is in the shop now, I turned it in this morning. I am driving an automatic Nissan Altima as a rental. I test drove the Altima when I was looking for a new car, and thought I liked the styling the Altima did not impress me.
I drove my kitty to Durham this week-end. It was a 180 mile round trip.
I loved driving my kitty on I-95. It may not be the fastest in it's class, but I love how I can downshift from 5th to 4th gear while cruising at 80 mph and feel it surge readily to 110+ with ease.
I also love how smooth the car sounds, even with the KKM and the resonator removed.
I love my car, can't wait till it is fixed.
I really am getting close to needing tires. I hate how much tires cost locally when compared to Tire Rack. I would really like to buy some tires locally, but when BF Goodrich VR4s cost 62.00 at Tire Rack, and 115.00 locally it's really hard to swallow.
Well, gotta go now, say Good Night Gracie!
I just placed an order for my Cat!
Wow, I still can't get over how well it drives. And I've only driven the automatic. I'm not much of stick guy. Too lazy. But going from a Cavalier's I4 to the Cougar's V6 is heavenly. I love this frickin' car! Can't wait until June 19th. The salesman gave me a generous waiting period, so as not to get my hopes up. LOL...tomorrow would be too long to wait!
Overall, I'd say the salesman was extremely helpful, friendly, and informative. He really knew his stuff. I test drove his demo, a dark tourmaline green, cuz it had the moonroof. He told me he didn't want to sell that one in particular cuz it was his lil baby. ~sighs~
oh, to be that lucky.
If anyone in Central Wisconsin is looking for a place to get their hands on a Cat of their own, I definitely recommend Rosemurgy Ford Mercury. I went there not expecting to order through them, but Tony's price was the lowest I'd gotten, right off the bat. (Good thing he didn't know that!)
So now I wait. Lord, grant me patience. LOL!
First, I found that when Dell switched their single listing discussion group over to a sections, topic-driven format, it was VERY difficult to keep up with the posts. One or two threads would ALWAYS get flooded, making it difficult to ever get to the other 5-6 topical threads that were also of interest to me.
Second, I've had some trouble getting the placemarks to work properly for the clubs. They're not updating properly. It was a lot easier to manage them before the threaded topics.
Those are my only real concerns. Keep up the good work. I wish my Cougar experience could be as fun as others' in this group. I could easily get into the mods and the day-to-day, bumper-to-bumper care of a well-built car. Oh, well...
Sincerely,
burnsmr4
THANKS MWS0520 -- the CSG is really fortunate to have you as a member!! (I emailed him a question on Saturday, he acknowledged my email on Sunday, and came back with the answer today. Fabulous response time!)
What is the study? They are offering $200 compensation, full insurance, wash, wax and a full tank of gas, and free usage of a new Ford model while they have the owner's kitty for 5-7 days. The testing will include running it on a dyno and limited road testing.
However, I don't like the idea of loaning my kitty to my family, much less to a strange (albeit legitimate) company...what do you think?
Currently Edmunds is in the process of changing their software platform. Once the software changeover is finished, I believe we will have better control of how this discussion group is laied out. Hopefully this change over will happen soon, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
meowlam:
I'll have TONS of pics from Cougar Fest 2000!
Although I don't live in CA, I would NEVER allow my Kitty to become some lab rat for some company study.
Andy.
CRAPPY CABLE COMPANY!
Dasaint: I'm not very photogenic really, so maybe we could get a stunt double to play me changing your oil for the commercial.
Taking my kitty in tomorrow for the freakin' trunk latch thing. The service guy says that the fix they have (to replace the spring) is usually only temporary, and the problem may return in a few months...he says Ford hasn't come up with a permanent solution yet. Is this accurate guys, or do I need to be pushier? Guess they didn't fully fix the trunk latch problem with the 2000's after all.
As far as my factory installed sunroof, I agree with Rob - I wish it opened a little more - but I like the fact that it blends so well with the rest of the car. Actually, I have to have that looked at tomorrow as well, because one corner seems to be sitting a little high, and I don't want potential leaks or anything, but I was assured it's a minor problem with an easy fix.
Traction control was a great investment for me, considering the snow here in the Midwest. We just had a few inches last week, as a matter of fact ( I HATE this climate - I bought my kitty in the spring to AVOID winter this year, or so I thought)..the traction control was fantastic, and I never felt so much as a little skid in the slippery slushy crud (yes, I washed my car immediately, by hand, thank you very much
Dasaint, if you wanna squeal the tires a bit, all you have to do is turn the traction control off. Not that I would ever do anything that naughty, of course.
Does your Cat have two springs on the trunk, or just one?
I have two springs and have never had a problem.
But then there are people like StageLeft who don't have any springs and have never had a problem.
Weird!
Actually with the superchip installed I can take 3rd gear up to about 78mph, and then shift in to 4th. I have only done this a few times, but it is possible.
Yes you could have down-shifted in to 4th to get some more torque. 5th is an overdrive gear of sorts. It's great for highway cruising, but does not provide a great amount of passing power at rpms lower in the power band.
I actually did look up the dates on the Speedvision Web page and it looks like the dates you gave and what is on the web site are different. For example, according to Speedvision the first Touring car race is this Sat(Apr 22 at 9:00 pm). And you state Mar 30-Apr 1st for the first race. I guess I'm just being picky, but I don't want to miss any races(if I'm home). Maybe the dates you gave are the only races with the Cougar. I know last year the Cat was not in all the races. Oh well.......
You can take 4th gear all the way to the top speed which is 137 mph (if I'm not mistaken).
Most people have this misconception about overdrive like it's some super powerful gear. You even hear songs that have lyrics like 'you put me in overdrive' (yeah, baby, that's because he's trying to save gas). It's primary purpose is to reduce engine wear (by reducing rpm) and saves gas as well.
Badulah:
Why are you calling people like Stageleft weird?!?
Stageleft:
Just because you're good with the computer doesn't make you weird. I would demand an apology from Badman.
fish8:
What about us people who don't watch MTV? How do we get to see the Cougar commercial (man, I gotta stop watching Discovery channel)??
Sorry, but I would have to insist that you personally do the oil change in the commercial. We want it to be as authentic as possible. However, maybe then can get Keanu Reeves to play me.
I was wondering for those attending Cougarfest, will be meeting the infamous MWS?
Also I think it would be really cool if FMC would bring out a few of its own toys,
like the Concept Eliminator and Concept S, and any new toys they may have? Please...
I still think doing a inexpensive cougar commercial, would pay off for Ford, enough of those darn Focii Commercials
Actually I like spinning off the new dodge "free Car wash" commercial.
Essentially the Cougar Drives by many washes, they become more and more inticing as the driver continues, like "Discounted today for Cougars", "Free today for Cougars", maybe even a bikini car wash with the actors holding signs reading "Free Wash and Wax for your Cougar today" All the while the driver is imagining(hey Imagine TV remember that one) taking pleasure in washing and waxing the car him/herself.
OK thats all from me.
I have access to video equipment and such.... In Highschool (1997-1998) I was executive producer of WTHS Instant Replay. A student produced cable show about area highschool sports. We have two professional studios in our High School and i still have access to them as needed.
I dunno about doing an actual FoMoCo sanctioned commercial due to the fact that i'm still an ammatuer, and mucho red tape, but perhaps we could put together a CSG "reel" or two and put something together to show at Cougar Fest 2000???
Jimbo_G
P.S Does anyone even know if it'd be possible to have power for a TV monitor and VCR at the CSG area?? Badulah??
Also What, if any info can you give us (or point us to) about the Yellow special edition cougar (sun and fun pkg or something??) My dealer as of today knows nothing about it....
Anything new on the S that you can tell us, or is that still "classified info"??
Just curious
Jimbo_G
Badulah, we may have a role for you in the Commercial
Jimbo, to get a TV and VCR, get a power inverter for your car, and run anything