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Cougar Support Group - Chats On...

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    dgeminidgemini Member Posts: 161
    This spell check sucks! It is screwing up my messages!I purchased MintMintedSAeet Pads, and AutoAuto specialtyors. They work great and are almost brake dust free. The only problem is my brakes squeal now on slow controlled stops.
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    I see we lost a few messages from yesterday. I guess Edmunds had a few problems.
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    Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    I posted a note about it in Meet the Members. And today is Friday the 13th. Everyone walk softly. ;-)

    KarenS
    Host
    Owner's Clubs
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    dgeminidgemini Member Posts: 161
    How do you turn off spell check! Every time I try to post using a proper noun it screws it up. Why has this become a default? Please somebody turn it off!
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    burnsmr4burnsmr4 Member Posts: 318
    Where's the subject box for posting a new message? It's disappeared from the bottom of the page. I'm using PC w/ Windows 98SE and MSIE 5.5.
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Yeah, its gone. Whats the deal?
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    advocatusadvocatus Member Posts: 45
    I already posted this, but it seems to have disappeared. I asked your opinions on if this is a good price for a cougar. 2000 V6 Auto(factory used) 10k miles 13,999 dollars. Convenience package. What do you guys think?

    Thank you!
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    advocates:
    That doesn't seem to be such a bad price. Is it in mint condition? What other options does it have?
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    gustafscgustafsc Member Posts: 361
    advocatus:

    According to the used car price guide here in Edmunds, the price is probably about right for the normal dealer retail. There would be some variation due to the convenience group and any other options on the car (brakes, disc changer, etc...).

    If you want ot look for yourself, just hit the "used" tab in the toolbar at the top of the page and follow along to Mercury-Cougar-2000, and the info is there.

    Good luck, and obviously, all of us would recomment the Cougar over the Alero.

    Skiip G.
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    I agree with Skip G.

    None of us are going to tell you to go with the Alero.
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    smc7smc7 Member Posts: 12
    I was in Madison, WI for the weekend and I actually heard a radio ad for the Mercury Cougar. Is advertising actually picking up or was this a fluke?
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Was it for a local dealership? Or was it just for the Cougar in general?
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    burnsmr4burnsmr4 Member Posts: 318
    Guess what? I have no complaints (knock on a big ol' 2x4 piece of wood) about my car after my Easter trip to North Carolina. Aside from some continuing vibrations from the Pirellis I picked up in December, I had not a wink of trouble from the car. A/C kept up over 400 miles too, which was a relief, given Fish8's recent experience.

    Later,
    burnsmr
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    smc7smc7 Member Posts: 12
    I'm not sure. I wasn't really paying attention when they were talking about it. It was some kind of skit. Then I heard "Mercury Cougar" and I was in shock. I hadn't heard it since ... but I'm also no longer in Madison, WI.
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Burnsmr4:
    I'm really happy for you and your Cat!!!
    I'm glad she held up just fine on your trip!!

    SMC7:
    I would venture to say it was a local advertisement sponsored by a local dealership and not from LMC directly.
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    dgeminidgemini Member Posts: 161
    My kitty just made 46,000 miles. Other than having to replace a broken throttle (which may have been my fault), Replacing brakes and rotors (from having a lead foot), and a new set of tires (from spirited cornering and accelerating) I have had no problems with the car.I think my Cougar is just great. I still find myself looking at it and remarking at how good it looks.I just hate the fact that I own a car that is considered to be at the bottom of its class. Mercury's canceling the S model didn't help either.People like being associated with a winner. Why do you think polls matter so much leading up to an election? Why do you think it matters so much to Ford, Honda, and THonda to haToyota "Best selling car in America," people like being associated with the "Best," and they buy what other people think is the "Best."I feel that the Cougar is still a great car, FOR THE MONEY. However, we all know that it lags behind the other cars in it's class when it comes to performance.Unfortunately the S was cancelled. We will have to wait for performance tests on another kitty, the Jaguar X-type, in order to see what the Cougar S could have been. As we all know, the new Contour/Mondeo based X-type JaguMondeol possess the engines and drivetrains that were promised for the Contour/Mondeo based Cougar S. Mondeod have been very proud knowing that a new edge Cougar model was able to compete with the Eclipse GT and the Celica GTS.
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    burnsmr4burnsmr4 Member Posts: 318
    I have a funny story to add to my good news (again, knock on big 'ol piece of wood) about my latest road trip in the Cougar from hell.

    My dad is giving my brother (who uses a wheelchair) the ol' Ford Windstar. They're having it converted, I think. So, what does he decide to buy? After all the troubles I've shared with him regarding my Mercury Cougar? After I recommended he look at a Toyota or Honda?

    A used Mercury Mountaineer. Loaded. To the gills.

    I think, while the Cougar and Mountaineer were parked next to each other my first night home this past weekend, they discussed plans on further ruffling my feathers. The Mountaineer was to take the lead, since the Cougar was in my good graces for not dropping a transmission or exploding on the trip home.

    The first time I rode around with my family in the Mountaineer, I was impressed with the leather trim, the Mach audio system, and my dad showing off the V-8 and the sunroof. We were going to some church rehearsal (Easter and everything), so I brought my laptop to do some work while waiting for dinner afterwards. The laptop ended up in the cargo area with my brother's wheelchair.

    Lo' and behold, the Mountaineer's rear end bounced around over every bump. I thought it was just the SUV's Ford Ranger heritage. But, alas, the Mountaineer was out to get me.

    When dad got out to pull out my brother's wheelchair, I suddenly discovered why the rear end had bounced around so much. The evil Mercury SUV had gotten the laptop bag strap wrapped around a part of the wheelchair. When the wheelchair came out, so did the laptop. A corner of the screen and the screen hinge were cracked and damaged. I was mad.

    The SUV and I stared each other down, but I could do nothing. Dad has been brainwashed by the vehicle -- to take a sledgehammmer to its hood would have meant certain disownment by my father. I had no choice but to suck it up, go inside, and assess the full damage to the laptop. Later that night, as I lay tossing and turning in the house, I swore I could hear the Cougar and the Mountaineer snickering at me from the driveway. The Cougar said nothing on the way home -- just a nice, uneventful ride.

    I know what was really going on in the car's mind. Yeah...I know. And it's on now, ya little #$%!

    Don't call me paranoid,
    burnsmr4

    P.S. -- :-)
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Currently the CSG is sponsoring a Cougar rally in Lakeville, Conneticut at Lime Rock Park Raceway from Friday May 25th to Monday Monday May 28th. The purpose of this meeting is to get together and rally for the Cougar race team, Capaldi Racing.

    Capaldi Racing is a member of the SCCA which will be hosting two races during this weekend. Friday will be the race qualifications, Saturday will be the first race and Monday will be the second race.

    Our plan is to meet on Friday at a local restaurant and have dinner together. Saturday we will view the first race, Sunday we will relax and kick back with the Capaldi Racing Team, and on Monday we plan to attend the second race. Even if your not a race fan, this should be a GREAT weekend!

    Currently Capaldi Racing has acquired 20 race & Pit passes for the CSG. At this point in time we only have 4 left. If you are interested in attending this event, please email me as soon as possible. You can check out all the details at:

    CSG Lime Rock Park Event Info

    Thank you,
    Rob AKA "Badulah"
    CSG Public Relations & General Management
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Where the heck is everyone today?
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    bkjprincebkjprince Member Posts: 12
    Don't worry badulah. I'm here to keep you company.

    Happy to report, My eurocat or silver stealth or whatever anyone wants to call was picked up last Friday as promised. I bought it without my wife knowing and picked here up from philly on the way to Washington D.C. She didn't know were I was, and funny enough walked up to an identical Ford Expolrer to ours. Of course I got here attention and she asked "Where did you park?" Then she saw our 80 lb dog in the back happy as a clam. "Did you rent it?" I said yes. I give here credit, she immedately called me due to the 30 day tags. Also kind of tough when there is only 55 miles on the car.

    Well 200 down to D.C. was a real pleasure. It make it much nicer to have a stereo that works, fresh leather and a sunroof on the beautiful good Friday of 2001 that it was. I anticipate this to be a good omen and happy shifting to come. The "techno 2001" look is also well done when matched with grey leather and sleek silver exterior. Needless to say, the pooch and our stuff was swallowed by the trunk and the road didn't seem nearly as harsh as usual. Out and about in D.C. was great too, not to mention a smooth ride home. So the first report on a 2001 v6 is two thumbs up. Ride and suspension great. I am not used to FRD and lots of stuff going on up there(heavy and torque steer) but hopefully that will pass. This is my first NEW car ever and the choice was solid. Lets see what the next year brings.

    BKJ
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    BKJ:
    CONGRATS!!!! and welcome to the owners club!! The Cougar is one of the most enjoyable car to drive. You will find yourself not wanting to get to your destination because your having so much fun. You will also find yourself wanting to go for a long drive for no other reason other than to drive. The Cougar is a wonderful car and is a joy to own and drive.

    I wish you luck and safety with your new acquisition. If you ever have any questions or comments, you know where to post them!!
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    gustafscgustafsc Member Posts: 361
    Welcome aboard, enjoy!!!!

    Skip G
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    fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    HI all!!!!

    I also have great news about my Cougar!!!! I just got back from a business trip to Las Vegas and my Cougar held up great. Of course, I did not drive my Cat to Vegas so that may play an important part in it holding up fine. ;-) Actually, I left it in covered parking for about 5 days at the airport. When I got back into town this morning, my car started without a hitch!!!

    And no, I did not win big in Vegas!!!

    burnsmr4: I am glad to hear your car handled the trip without any problems. I wish I could say the same thing for your laptop. Was any serious damage done?

    By the way, I had my hood repainted about 2 weeks ago because my clear coat was chipping. So far the hood looks great. This body shop I use really does great work!!!
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    bkjprincebkjprince Member Posts: 12
    Thanks for the warm welcome, for the second time.

    Looking forward to meeting you all at Lime Rock Park and to the Capaldi Crew.

    Cheers,
    bkj
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    advocatusadvocatus Member Posts: 45
    I've been posting on this website on and off for about 2-3 weeks I'd say, asking questions and getting opinions. I appricate everyone's patience with me and would like to thank you all for so warmly welcoming me at the chat session I attended. Down to business:

    After much debate over which used vehicle I should get, either an olds alero or a cougar, I have decided to ax both cars and formulate a plan instead. I read alot on the web about haggling and made my move, calling 3 of the 40 Pa dealers. I had a logical plan as to why I should receive a new cougar for 15,780 when the msrp was 19,200... and two of the three dealers bit.. and I arrived at a price I was very happy with for a New 2001 Silver Cougar, ordered today :) (obviously not the 15.7k I was hassling for)

    Maybe I'll attend a CSG function if I'm ever close enough to the event to swing over.
    Drive carefully everyone!
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Advocatus:
    Congrats on your new purchase!!!! When are you expecting to take delivery?

    As far as events are concerned, I was thinking about planning a third one for this year maybe sometime in mid fall. I was also thinking about having it in the NJ/PA area, so hopefully this will work out for you. For now though I have my hands full planning Lime Rock and Cougar Fest.
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    burnsmr4burnsmr4 Member Posts: 318
    Fish8 -- Tell us (for anyone who might be in Atlanta area) which body shop you used. I had my work done by Stone Mountain Collision in Snellville, GA. They do great on all sorts of cars, and they're affiliated with one of the metro-Atlanta dealerships as a primary collision center.

    Honest and reliable -- the local investigative reporters and consumer affairs TV types use the shop for personal repairs, if that says anything :-)

    As for the laptop...well...anyone interested in a slightly used Dell Inspiron 7000?

    :-) burnsmr
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    fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    burnsmr4: The body shop I bring my car to is Pugmire Lincoln Mercury Body Shop. They have worked on my car 3 times and all have been done well.
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    mws0520mws0520 Member Posts: 45
    All's quiet on the western front... 80 degrees and sunny. Great weather for driving a Cougar!
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    advocatusadvocatus Member Posts: 45
    I don't know as far as delivery right now... the dealer is calling around to all the local shops to try to find one to trade... it won't be long I assume.. now I just have to find good car insurance... progressive quoted me 1,500 for six months... FLEE!!!
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Advocatus:
    $1,500 for 6 months?!!! That's madness!! I pay $1,600 for a full year. I have no points (thank God Ohio tickets don't transfer over to NJ!!) and no accidents and yet I still have to pay what I consider to be a high rate. If I were you, I would continue to shop around.

    MWS0520:
    GREAT to hear from you!! You should check in more often!
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    stageleftstageleft Member Posts: 391
    MWS!!! How are you? Good to know you're still here!

    Congrats to BKJ and Advocatus!

    Take care everyone, and Happy Cougaring!
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    gustafscgustafsc Member Posts: 361
    First: Hi MWS!! Good to know you're still around. Hope to see you at CF this summer. Is Mercury planning a new, new Cougar for 2006/7? Would be nice to keep the name going!! Just don't supersize it and I might be interested about then.

    Insurance: Ford just mailed me a very good offer for about $600+ annualy. While I'm not taking it due to my long, happy relationship with Prudential, it's a lot better than what you guys are paying or being quoted.

    Unless you've got a terrible record, the Cougar is listed as a compact, not a sports car for insurance purposes and the rates should not be that bad.

    Skip G
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    jdbishopjdbishop Member Posts: 36
    I guess I shouldn't complain about $612.00 per year.
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Prices like that don't exist here in NJ.

    I can only dream of such rates.
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    fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    I actually just got my premium notice and it went up about $50.00 every 6 mo. They said the repair record for the Cougar was looked at and the rate was adjusted accordingly. That still makes my insurance about $900.00 per year.

    Nice to hear from you MWS. You should stop by more often!!!
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    dgeminidgemini Member Posts: 161
    Tommorrow I and my Cougar will hit the road! I will live sunny Southern Arizona and drive to California. Afterwards I will drive back to North Carolina.

    So far the Cougar has performed great, it has responded well to my last two oil changes (Mobil 1).

    As I mentioned earlier, my new brakes are great other than a squealing noise I get when I come to a slow controlled stop, I LOVE the lack of brake dust!

    Don't know if anyone bothered to read my last post. I wasn't saying that I didn't like my Cougar, it just wish I owned a car that was getting support from the company that made it AND I wish they had made a from the factory Cougar that could hang with the competition.

    Later
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Dgemini:
    I hear and understand your point about wanting to own a car that the manufacturer supports. Its really a shame that FMC forgot about us.
    Right now its our loss, but in the long run it will be theirs.
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    dgeminidgemini Member Posts: 161
    Badulah:

    I just had a thought, you know we Cougar/Contour owners have one source of pride.

    Our Duratech engines. Even though Ford never gave our cars the go fast goodies they deserved the following is a list of marquis vehicles with Duratech or Duratech derived engines.

    Jaguar S Type
    Jaguar X Type
    Lincoln LS

    The Duratech is a fine engine, albeit a little undertuned in our cars.

    When I get back from Korea I am hoping to add a SHO Shop y-pipe and some headers to my Cougar.

    I also read where someone added a SVT Contour exhaust to their Cougar with minimal modifications. I love the sound of the SVT Contour and I hope to buy a used set for a good price.

    Well gotta go, I am presently attending the NCO Academy at Fort Huachuca, AZ. I will graduate tommorrow! Afterwards I head to Korea for a year after a few days in California, and a week or so back home in North Carolina.

    I will miss my wife (and my cougar) terribly.

    Please don't tell her I mentioned missing her and my Cougar in the same sentence!

    Later
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    advocatusadvocatus Member Posts: 45
    I'm taking delivery on Thursday the 3rd of May and I couldn't be happier! My last final is on tuesday of that week and me and the gf are gonna take the car out for the first ride :) I have looked around more for insurance and the best quote I could find is 1100 dollars for 6 months. Now I have to tell you I'm only 23, and I'm gonna be moving to the philly Pa area, but I have a pristine record. But that is still the best I can do. I'm getting a fantastic price on my cat, but I have a question now for you. I'll post it in my next post.
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    advocatusadvocatus Member Posts: 45
    What do you guys think? The business manager quoted me 1,250 to extend it to 6 years/75k miles. Has anyone taken this coverage? I WILL be driving a very good deal, back to see the girlfriend etc...but I'm very tight on money, school loans, etc etc.

    Does anyone have the extended service? Would you recommend it? I'm not one to say yes to any amount of money before I research it. Thanks guys/girls!
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    fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    Congrats on your new Cougar!!!

    I would probably get the extended service plan for the Cougar. If you can afford it, I think it would be money well spent. If I were you though, I would make sure the plan covers all major systems(AC, engine, exaust, transmission...etc...). Also, it would be nice if they could provide a rental if your car ends up in the shop. I owned a '97 Jeep Wrangler and it had so many problems Chrysler gave me a free extended warranty which included free rental terms. I have never priced the plans, so I can't tell if the price is in line or not. Good Luck!

    One more thing: Make sure the plan is a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury plan and not a third party managing it. I have heard bad things about 3rd party service plans! Just a thought
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    gambit293gambit293 Member Posts: 406
    (I was going to mention this during the chat last night, but I had to take off to do something else...)

    Well, after over half a year lurking about the CSG, it happened: I got a car.

    Only thing is, it's not a cougar. I ended up getting a Celica GTS.

    When I started looking at cars about a year ago, the cougar started out ranked pretty high on my list. It looked great, was several k south of the competition, and was something different.

    However over time, it began to gradually lose little points here and there. I test drove an auto V6 and was dissapointed. It felt powerful, but not very nimble or fast. Still, it was an automatic, so I let this slide.

    I was living in Cali temporarily. I finally moved back to Ohio recently. To be honest, the cougar is not very exclusive here. In northern Cali, the Cougar is a downright rarity. I would see maybe 1 each week. Here in Ohio, I see about 5 or 6 each day, and I've always wanted something different. Still this is a small thing.

    The cougar was still high on my wish list, but several things sealed its fate. The first big thing was the cancellation of the S, which I was really considering. I know speed isn't all that important to many people, but I'm still young(23) and I want something that has the inner guts to match the outer skin. To each unto his own, right? Anyway, cancellation of the S was a big dissappointment.

    Finally, as the purchase time approached, my parents saw the latest reliabily reports and were completely against the cougar. They've owned American cars in the past, but have become increasingly conservative buyers over time. The fact is that even though I'm making my own money now, I can't afford to buy a car right now without their help. So I bowed to their will.

    I think the Celica looks terrific, though I know opinions are divided here... And since I'm pretty short, I don't have a problem fitting into it. Plus I got a decent deal on it.

    I still think Cougars look great too, and I like seeing them around. It's a shame that Ford hasn't done more to support it.

    Well, I've had a fun time hanging with the good folks of CSG. I'll still pop in every now and then (if you don't lynch me). I wish you all the very best as you cougar on through life.
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    O for the love of God.

    Another one lost to the dark side.

    I'm going to go home now and cry myself to sleep, but before I do I will pray for your forgiveness Gambit.
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    malibumalibu Member Posts: 155
    Hi all...remember me? Tax Season is over (yeah!) and I have somewhat recovered. Accounting Sucks! If anyone is considering being an accountant, come and spend one tax season with me and I'm sure I can change your mind. The house is done, we moved in March 17th. But not without incident, of course. March 5th the tract flooded, 3 inches of muddy water ran through the house and ruined all the baseboards. Carpet was scheduled that Thursday, luckily we didn't have it in yet. We cleaned up and recovered from that only to have a power outage on the night of the 16th, and we were robbed! No this isn't a bad dream, this is what my life has been like for the past 7 months...Hell! So all is said and done now, we are moved in and somewhat settled and I love my house! My car loves the garage and getting her regular baths again. No more dirt roads for this baby! Pavement only. I did get that recall notice and they didn't have to change anything, my aftermarket sunroof decided to stop working one morning so the dealership called the company out of Fresno and sent a repair man over, he fixed it and because of the inconvience the dealer detailed it for me. I love my dealership! She has 11,500 miles on her and runs like a champ! Since moving into the house the mileage has increased to 27.5. I'm on the freeway all the time now instead of around town and those darn dirt roads. RE: insurance, I have Geico and they were great in paying off the black cougar and I pay 608. per year. I also have the extended warranty through them, not Ford, it covers more and is much cheaper. I did alot of research on it before getting it. I was told most insurance co's offer it now. Well it sounds as if all of you are doing great. I missed you and will be popping in more regularly now. Take care!

    Lisa.
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    camelardcamelard Member Posts: 171
    So good to hear you are finally in your house and loving in. Sorry about all the other stuff. I know what you mean about the tax thing. Ours has a week and a bit to go (April 30th) and every day I thank all of the Gods that a.) I am not in accounting any more and b.) there are dedicated people like you that take care of the rest of us.

    All,

    Sorry I have been away so long. Long story that involves unplanned travel and unplanned surgery but (touch wood) almost back to normal now. I promise I will make the chat session next Tuesday.

    Pat
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    badulahbadulah Member Posts: 961
    Malibu & Camelard:
    GREAT to hear from both of you!!! We were starting to wonder what happened to the two of you!

    Malibu:
    Sorry to hear you have had such a hard time with your house. Hopefully now that you are settled in things will start to get better.
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    fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    Welcome back!!!
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    Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    If you're interested in receiving a CSG Club chat reminder via email, please send a request to Dana (dlivingston@edmunds.com). She will arrange to have a weekly email reminder sent to you.

    Also...welcome back malibu and camelard!

    KarenS
    Host
    Owner's Clubs
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    advocatusadvocatus Member Posts: 45
    Is this thing on? Where is everyone? I hope you're all out enjoying your cats.. while I wait for mine to come in yet.... :( Drive Carefully!
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