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Comments
A loaded Cat will go for $21,000 (sticker), but you should be able to work them down a bit. When compared to other cars in its class, the Cougar is the best bang for the buck. Both the Celica GTS and Eclipse GT cost a few thousand more when equally equipped.
I think my EVIL boss is going to let us leave a little bit early today, so I thought I would post this now.
I hope all of you have a safe and wonderful new year. Hopefully your new year's eve will be filled with friends, family, and a good time in general. Mine will be filled with all of the above plus a lot of snow!! The forecast is calling for 10-16 inches of snow starting tomorrow morning around 7am. This is one of those times I really wish I had a garage for my Cat. After this storm is over I may be able to make a snow garage for her!!
Have a Great New Year Everyone!!!
Rob
AKA "Badulah"
CSG Caretaker and Certified Cougar Nut!!
PS - I plan to post my views on merging with other clubs early next week. Anyone else have any views on this topic?
My new Pirellis are a much better tire than the stock Firestones. What other Pirellis did you consider? Aren't the P4000 one step below my P6000's? I have heard that your P4000's have gotten great reviews by some magazines. After rebalancing your tires, are they wearing better?
Just out of curiosity, do you start your car and let it warm up for a few (2-10 mins) before you back it out of the garage.
The groan you describe is one that I have experienced with just about every car I have owned. When it happens is typically in the winter, and when I warm the car up before driving. I believe this has more to do with the combination of a warm engine and cold drive train than any thing to do with the brakes. The same goes if you use a block heater (warm block, cold drive train). If this is the case then it is normal and nothing to worry about.
Badulah and Stageleft:
Here's to more of the same great work
Edmund's and Karen S.
Dito
Malibu:
Hope you are loving the new house and Kitty
Benisem:
To the new job being all you hoped it would be.
For me:
Confessions and News Years resolutions under meet the members.
Just a random thought...
Have a Happy New Year, all.
No, I do not warm up my car for 2 to 10 minutes. Being from Houston, it is rarely cold enough to even wear a jacket in the car. I start the car, fasten my seat belt, shift into reverse and slowly start out of the garage. I have now isolated the groan to either the power steering pump or the belt that drives the pump. The groan occurs whenever I turn the steering wheel, whether or not the car is moving. My initial thought that it was the brakes is because I do not turn the wheel until the car is moving. Saves wear on the tires. I will take my car into the dealer on Tuesday and have the power steering pump checked out. At least I know that it is not the brakes.
Thanks for all the responses and have a Happy and Safe New Year!!!
Jack
Steering wheel pump?!
Rob
I hope everyone had a great new years eve. The Saturday before New Years we received 18" of snow. Needless to say I spend most of the day digging out. The Cat performed wonderfully in the winter mess. The new tires are really holding up nicely. The investment was well worth it.
The Pirelli P4000 tires I purchased before Christmas, although balanced 3 times, are still causing a vibration through the steering wheel at interstate speeds. Anywhere from 65mph to 80mph (normal around Atlanta). Keep in mind the fact that I also had an alignment performed last week by Kauffman.
The only thing that I could find wrong with the service I received from them was their tire inflation habits. At air temperature (we're talking 20s and 30s), the pressure was 32-36 psi! That's 2-4 psi more than Ford recommends on the door panel tire pressure sticker.
Anyone have any suggestions for fish8 and myself? The folks we're using are pretty reliable and good about customer service. Bad tires, perhaps?
As far as the tire pressure goes, I personally asked Kauffman what the proper tire pressure for the P6000's were and they said it was 35psi. I then went to Pirelli's website to look for myself and they recommend 32psi. Kauffman probably puts 35psi in ALL the tires they sell. At least that is better than Big 10 Tires where I got my wife's tires. After going home and checking what pressure they put in her Michelins(should be 30psi), the pressures varied from 20psi in one tire to over 40 in another. Needless to say, I won't be going back there.
Jack
Selling cars is important, but keeping your current customers happy is just as important. It seems like Ford doesn't understand this, just like they don't understand how to advertise properly.
Just my $0.02
I can finally sympathize with all you folks north of here, got a red snowflake for the first time this morning. Pretty darn cold for us foks in Houston!!!!!
badulah:I don't think Ford is the only company that is lacking is customer service. I experienced the same disappointing service from Chrysler when I owned a Jeep. Your statement on keeping customers happy is right on! It has been my experience as a whole(all industries) that customer service has declined big time!! Just my $.02
>;-)
Andy.
I believe it may have something to do with the wider tires since I only notice it on certain roads, in particular certain stretches of I-95.
Anyone else have any idea on what may be causing this?
Fastback2 - "flamed" is not the word. Neco killed me. Thanks for the thought.
Badulah - you should increase your rate from two cents to three. (see comments above where you have given your two cents).
Cougar popularity in California - this is definitely an import market. It does not just affect the small specialty segment but all segments. Californians love their imports.
Lately I have noticed that my gas mileage has dropped noticeably. Right now I am getting an average of 22mpg city and 26mpg highway. I used to get an average of 26mpg city and 31mpg highway. I did switch from 93 octane fuel to 90 octane, but I really don't think this switch should cause that big of a drop in fuel consumption. Anyone have any ideas?
On Tuesday January 9, 2001 at 4-5pmPT/7-8pmET we will be holding our first official CSG chat session here in Edmunds. I'm hoping to see all of you there!! We will post the link to the chat area in the near future. Please let us know if you plan on attending the session!!
Skip G
Glad to see your back on line with us!!!
I wasn't sure if they changed the formula in the winter or summer months. I knew the different formula changed the mileage, but I didn't think it would effect it this much.
Mike agreed. He hasn't had a ticket in 15 years, so he was due. I just hope I'm not next.
I know how he feels. On the way back from Cougar Fest I got nailed by an Ohio State Troop who wasn't so nice. The only good thing is that since I got it out of the tri-state area I won't be getting any points on my license and it will not show up on a DMV background check.
If I got that ticket in this area, the fine would have been double and I would have gotten 4 points.
I have a questions for you guys now. A few days ago, I was on my way to work when I noticed this crack/scratch on my windshield that starts from where the roof of the car ends (where the windshield begins) to where the rearview mirror is placed; so it's a pretty long crack. The problem is that I can't really see where a rock could have hit it because I cannot find where the crack is "chipped" where a rock or somethign might have hit it. I ran my finger along it and I can't really feel it from inside the car and barely from the outside, it's almost as if it was located inbetween the glass. Does this make sense to any of you guys? Any of you guys have seen this before? Sorry about the long post, it's just a bit tough to explain. I don't to call my dealer and seem like a fool if I start blaming them for something that it's not possible!
In addition to the "oxygenation" process to rid the fuel of more contaminants over the winter months when the sun isn't producing enough heat in the atmosphere to burn off the exhaust vapors like in the summertime, the switch to 90 octane is probably as much a culprit of your poor gas mileage. I found that when I ran 93, I was getting pretty good mpg (around 21/26), but when I switched down to only 89 octane, I'm getting around 18.5/21 (OUCH!). With the fuel switch until February, I'm only getting around 17.5! Out of an "economical" V6 ... but then again I have the Borla Dual and a heavier foot - I too like the grumble of my aftermarket exhaust. :^)
MWS:
Keep bragging about your 80 degree weather and you might find yourself with a few housemates! I'm ready to drive out there just so I can wash my Cat. It's been almost a month of either rain, snow, or freezing temperatures and my poor Cat really needs a bath and a fresh coat of wax. My kingdom for a garage! You're right also, Californian's do love their imports. But I think we should be trying to break them of this nasty habit - LOL!
Tickets:
Don't feel so bad about tickets either, it seems like police officers want to get a close up view of the Cougar - just like everyone else. Right after I got back from CougarFEST, I got nailed in a school zone.
Dgemini:
If, in fact, that is a crack in your windshield, it is entirely possible that the cold weather we're getting in the DC area found the weak point in the glass. Sometimes with even just the small amount of body flex we experience from cornering in our nimble Cats can torque the glass all around the greenhouse and if there's a weak spot near the edge of any window it may cause a hairline to appear. In VA, you'll most likely have to do one of two things before your next safety inspection: 1) pray the dude doesn't see it. 2) get the windshield replaced. I'm pretty sure it's not a warranty item, but you could try that angle with your dealership. Otherwise, your insurance agent can probably help you with getting it fixed. Remember that if you have to get it replaced to only use the original Carlite glass equipped on all new Cougars to replace it or you probably won't be happy with it in the long run. Check out evisteon.com to learn more about the clear stuff. (sorry about the cheap plug ... gotta keep relations up!)
Take care everyone and Happy Cougaring!
Lefty, I know what you mean about needing a bath. We've had more crap falling from the sky than anybody except Buffalo, NY.
Still have to go through fits to get into the conference though. As I write this, the navigator is still telling me that it's contacting the host.
Only site in any of my bookmarks that does this, so I don't think that it's my server or computer.
Oh well, I'll just muddle along, and keep in touch.
Skip
Windshields are actually comprised of two layers of glass with a plastic sheet sandwiched between them. This is done in an attempt to prevent shattering (you've probably seen smashed windshields that still 'hold together'). It's likely that only one of the glass layers is cracked (probably the outside layer). I don't know what the laws are like in your area, but in Ontario, if a crack doesn't enter the driver's view area, it's okay. Unfortunately a crack such as the one you described will probably continue to progress slowly. My first car had much less structural rigidity than the Cougar. I had three windshields crack in that car; none of which were initiated by rock chips.
http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/epaper/editions/friday/wheels_a355b31fb5ce014e00c5.html
My Cat has been called a lot of things, but never before has it been called a chick car.
I hope none of my friends see this article, ill never hear the end of it!!
You're definitely right about Californians loving their imports. Maybe you can revise the Cougar a little bit with a different front and rear end, and then rebadge it as a Mazda--say, a Mazda RX8 or something like that. Mazda did used to sell a version of the Ford Probe called the MX6 (if I recall it correctly). I think the Cougar would be a nice fit to replace that car in their lineup. And that in turn would be a nice alternative to a Honda Civic coupe.
Daxpert:
Have you tried bringing in the car to your dealer. Maybe you can convince them it's a defect and get a free replacement.
Fish8:
There's really no reason to think or be offended if the Cougar was a "chick car." You don't hear women complain when a guy drives a minivan. And 53% is not an overwhelming number. Gore got that much people to vote for him, and he still lost. If it was 67% or more, then that's something else.
HEY! I drive a Neon! It's a sweet ride; it's fun to drive and has decent power. (Granted, it WAS a hand-me-down from my sister...)
I have heard the Cougar referred to as a chick car more than once. However, keep in mind that just about EVERY car that has attractive, sleek, unique styling has at one point or another been accused of being a chick car.
I've heard all of the following be "accused" of being chick cars : cougar, eclipse (old and new), mustang, beetle, neon, camaro, firebird, focus, integra, PT Cruiser...
The only TRUE man car, it seems, is one that has great performance, but is also butt-ugly. The Impreza RS might be considered a man car. Or the old Mustang from about two or three generations ago. It was just a boxy, lumpy thing with wheels and a big engine.
In light of this, being called a "chick car" might not be so bad.
Badulah: I looked through the Borla catalog last night, the Powerset comes with the exhaust and the air filter, it's $852. Is that what you have? Is it very loud? We have dual exhaust, flowmasters on the GTO and it'll wake the dead! I understand it's a much bigger engine but I don't want the cougar that loud, just a nice rumble. Aso it that price about right? Thanks.
This all goes to prove ... well, nothing, I guess... I just thought it might be interesting.Sales year-to-date for Sporty cars
2000 1999
1 Ford Mustang 163,541 156,181
2 Mitsu Eclipse 66,572 56,528
3 Toyota Celica 49,826 12,462
4 Chevrolet Camaro 39,361 37,767
5 Mercury Cougar 38,562 54,170
6 Pontiac Firebird 29,209 31,466
7 Acura Integra 24,436 24,337
8 Mazda Miata 17,283 16,799
9 Hyundai Tiburon 14,269 9,106
10 VW Cabriolet 13,280 10,731
Honda Prelude 9,035 10,726
Toyota MR2 Spyder 6,755 0
Honda S2000 6,229 2,801
Dodge Avenger 5,454 16,871
For the sake of comparison:
1 Ford F-Series(Lt Duty) 803,350 800,400
2 Chevrolet Silverado 583,441 565,711
3 Ford Explorer 417,455 391,636
4 Toyota Camry 386,150 418,130
5 Honda Accord 370,582 372,617
6 Ford Taurus 356,612 338,824
7 Dodge Ram Lt Duty Pckup 353,197 395,065
8 Ford Ranger 312,582 328,941
9 Honda Civic 304,038 295,902
10Dodge Caravan 271,483 269,133
Source: J.D. Power and Associates
I don't have an after market exhaust system...... yet. StageLeft has the Borla, so he is the expert.
I have ridden in his Cat several times and I really like the sound of it. It is quiet when cruising down the road, but it growls quite nicely when you nail it. The price they gave you seems a bit high though. Does that include installation?
Go to the Amoco at the corner of Braddock and Backlick roads. Their carwash is a water-only no-brushes/cloths style, so you don't have to worry about the carwash scratching the paint to bits.
Granted, I waited in line for over an HOUR last week, but I got through and my kitty is so much happier now. Not nearly as good a job as I could do with my bucket and hose, but at 38 degrees, it's certainly acceptable.
When I get my ground effects installed in the spring I plan to get the Borla and springs.
All:
Since it is snowing rather hard out, I'm leaving a little bit early. I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!! I'll talk with you on Monday.
Rob
PS - Don't forget about our first chat session next Tuesday night!!!!