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697 messages,  Last post on Nov 10, 2003 at 10:10 AM

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#648 of 697 sutovas by dgemini Nov 27, 2001 (2:17 am)
I agree with Badulah,   The Cougar is a great car for the money. I mean where else can you easily buy a V6 powered sport coupe for under 20 grand? If you do your homework and shop around you could get a V6 powered Cougar for around 16-18,000.00.   I have over 60,000 miles on mine. Yes, I did have a throttle break on me (which may have been my fault, I really don't know), and I had to replace the tires at around 40,000 miles and brakes at around 50,000 miles, but other than that I have had no problems with the car.   Good luck with whatever you decide to buy.
#649 of 697 Hit of Miss by fivespeeed Nov 28, 2001 (6:08 pm)
I've had my '99 Cougar for one year now, it has 34k on it. When i bought it i listed to anyone who had anything to say about it. So far as i see it...its a good car for the money, good gas mileage for a V-6..i get 35mpg on the highway, and i love the interior, all around good car. On the down side, I've had to have a BRAND NEW transmission installed becuase my car would not go in reverse. Now, the car has to be forced in all gears (more than before) but the dealer says refuses to do anything about it..(to all those saying to go to another dealer..shut up already). I've heard about a lot of minor problems but nothing real major. The used ones sell for cheap for the kind of car that you get, that's why i bought one...but i would NEVER buy one new. I hope to trade it in or sell it soon and get something else though...a WRX or an Altima V6. Make sure you buy from a good dealer...the salesman may be nice..but if the service department doesnt treat its customers right...go somewhere else!!
#650 of 697 Gearbox: by gustafsc Nov 29, 2001 (6:47 am)
If it's a new tranny, it might be stiff for the next 10K mi., and then start to loosen up. It took my '99' at least that long, but now it's OK.   WRX would be fun, but they don't offer a good looking 2dr coupe.   Skip G
#651 of 697 2003 Cougar by crazed17 Nov 30, 2001 (9:18 pm)
I was at a dealer tonight discussing the lack of supply and absolute zero effort that Mercury puts into promoting the car. That's when he mentioned that he was surprised they were continuing for 2003. He had some newsletter from Mercury which gave him this info. He also told me that they will be producing the Cougar with a bigger engine (I failed to ask exactly how big). Of course, 2003 is still far away. But at least it looks promising.   The Cougar isn't promoted because Lincoln and Mercury are trying to sell Grand Marquis and Town Cars. It's a vastly different demographic. Unlike Chevy, which has four cars starting under $20k. The companies have to realize that it's not always a good image - one of the reasons Oldsmobile died is because everyone associated their cars with old people. The Alero and Intrigue came too late.   Even though I'm not their typical market (25 yrs old), I've found the dealers to be extremely helpful and knowledgable about the Cougar. They call me quickly when they get information and have not tried any tricks. This contrasts with a number of stories about other dealers, notably Hyundai. My friend who just bought an Elantra got a sales pitch on a $1,500 satellite security device. Another had to argue with the dealer to get their license back after a test drive.   To the person considering buying one: Cougar has the best value (number of options at low price) of any 6 cylinder or 100ft+ wheelbase car. It's one of the cheapest 6-cylinder engines (I can only think of the Malibu as less) and the cheapest with 4-wheel disc brakes. It may get pushed into the sports coupe category against wannabe-sports cars, but it really just is a fun, attractive alternative to the same boring midsize car that most Americans drive (does it matter whether you choose an Accord or a Camry?). Regarding reliability, it always takes a few years of production to get the kinks worked out. And most of what is mentioned here are annoyances rather than problems. On one of the VW boards they're discussing engine rebuilds - that is the car to avoid. I figure that if I spend $1,500 less than an Acura RSX base (the car I pick as closest to a Cougar-price not exact), I really don't care if I have to replace the alternator and an electric lock or two.   Feel free to disagree. I'll know more when the dealers find me a Laser Red one.
#652 of 697 Cougar Reliability by trigger8 Nov 30, 2001 (11:06 pm)
This post is in response to people wondering about reliability of the car. I got one of the first new model cougars in summer of 98 (99 model). I now have 74,000 miles on it. First off, this car has been a lot of fun and is a tremendous "bang for the buck".   Quality wise, I have actually had most of the recalled problems (some before the recall). A few fit and finish problems that were annoying.   My biggest problem is now that it is older, I am finding it is a really expensive car to fix. I have the V6. One example of this was a couple of months ago I had to replace the alternator (normal around 70,000). Now, I looked at doing it myself, no way. Brought it to a chain autoshop. After they futz around with it for 5 hours, they gave it back to me, could not get it out. So, I brought it to the dealer. ~230 for the alternator (hmm, OK), ~250 in labor(WHAT!), total of ~500 for an alternator. They actually have to take the front end apart to get to it, just one of a couple that have happened to me. In general, the parts aint cheap.   I still like my car and it still runs well.
#653 of 697 by badulah Dec 04, 2001 (9:14 pm)
I have to agree with Skip: I would consider the WRX, but its so dang ugly!! I know they are fast from experience. I have tangled with them on the street and on the Auto-Cross track. If they took the mechanics from that car and put them in to the RS body, I would consider getting one sometime in the next year or two.   As far as a Cougar with a bigger engine goes: I have been assured from plant engineers (Face to face at Cougar Fest 2001) that this style of Cougar will never receive anything bigger or more powerful than the standard (170 hp & 165lbs. of Torque stock) Duratech V6. This is sad, but true.   FiveSpeed: Why would you never buy a new Cougar?
#654 of 697 Badulah: by gustafsc Dec 05, 2001 (7:23 am)
Boy, you're being agreeable today!!!!!!   Skip G.
#655 of 697 extended warranty by crazed17 Dec 06, 2001 (10:23 pm)
My local dealer offered me just under the invoice price on a 2001 Cougar to get it out of his showroom. It wasn't the exact model I wanted, but with the lower finance rates on the 2001's I'll be saving $5,000 from the normal market-rate loan on a 4-year deal.   The closer tried to sell me on an extended warranty. He claimed that the warranty would be fully refundable if I made no claims on it; that this was a special deal usually only offered on some Mountaineers because of some problems they had. I wasn't inclined to believe him, and I have found nothing on the internet about this. Has anyone heard of this? I have seen similar offers from some aftermarket companies but never from a manufacturer.   Thanks for all of the previous help.
#656 of 697 Which Cougar discussion is current?! by burnsmr4 Dec 09, 2001 (3:06 pm)
This is more to the Edmunds.com moderators than the group as a whole. Which is the most current discussion? Chat's On... or this one? Please either consolidate or close the other discussion. Jeepers...
#657 of 697 Hi burnsmr4- Both are current... by revka Dec 09, 2001 (3:43 pm)
The Mercury Cougar "Chat's On" discussion resides only in the Cougar Support Group owners area and is intended to be more of an owners hang out....   Whereas this particular discussion is also linked to Hatchbacks. That means you can also access this discussion via the Hatchbacks message board. This is a place where both owners and non owners (i.e shoppers) can discuss the Mercury Cougar. It's presence on the Hatchbacks board also let's non-owners know it's a hatchback design. In addition, if you enter this discussion via Hatchbacks, you'll also exit directly back out into the Hatchbacks board.   Feel free to participate in which ever discussion you'd like. Happy motoring!   Revka Host Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards

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