Talk to me about... Ford Cougars

[R9UKE]

I drove one for the fist time the other night, and it's left quite an impression.

 

I need a new daily driver after selling the Mégane, and with the auto box wobbles the Mégane Convertible is having, it'll be a while before it can be put into service. Plus the new beige Vel Satis, as magnifique as it is, is a tad uncool for a 21 year old to be driving everyday.

 

Anyway.... I hadn't realised what a nice car the Cougar is - It's like the Mondeo's sluttier sister. Lovely long body, aged well, interior is brilliant, excellent low-slung driving position, in fact there was very little I didn't like. The American and Mondeo influences are pretty obvious, and they're both brilliantly shite ingredients, Shirley?

 

I know very little about them, and the V6 engine it would have to have. Any epic fails where this car is involved, or is it just the trivial stuff?

 

So here's the car I drove. Main dealer trade in, and had no leather and an odd, intermittent starting issue which is why I swerved it at £450 in favour of a Leganza and a Polo.

 

 

 

[Pete-M]

Terrible seats. Otherwise they're ok. Bit cheap inside but on here thats a badge of honour

[Cavcraft]

Christ on a bike, the interior looks almost as horrible as the exterior!

Don't these have a random Mazda engine that's known for going bang and costing a) silly money and difficulty finding a replacement for?

[ruffgeezer]

If you imagine the Puma as that fit bit of stuff who was in the year above you at school, the pert lines and cheekiness, begging to have the tits thrashed off of it, then imagine meeting her again 20 years later, 3 kids, 2 husbands on, oh for sure from some angles the lines are still there, but the overall effect is a bloated, shapeless shadow of what went before, lolloping along uneasily and lazily, and whilst it might be tempting for you to poke it, ultimately you'll hate yourself for it afterwards.

[cort16]

^^

[RoadworkUK]

All the cool people say they're rubbish.

 

I like them. The duratec V6 is unrelated to the Mazda lump in the Probe and is nice enough and sounds triffic, Bollo enjoys the one in his Mondeo enough. They're a bit "of their time" but I'm pleased they exsisted. I think they look better now than they did back then.

 

Typically, as it was a US developed machine (sold as a Mercury) the interior was made from post-decomposition elements.

[beko1987]

If you imagine the Puma as that fit bit of stuff who was in the year above you at school, the pert lines and cheekiness, begging to have the tits thrashed off of it, then imagine meeting her again 20 years later, 3 kids, 2 husbands on, oh for sure from some angles the lines are still there, but the overall effect is a bloated, shapeless shadow of what went before, lolloping along uneasily and lazily, and whilst it might be tempting for you to poke it, ultimately you'll hate yourself for it afterwards.

 

Fucking lolz

[Albert Ross]

I once hired one for a weekend jaunt to a 21st Birthday in Liverpool, and a Wedding in Workington. Leaving Lincoln on a Friday night after work, getting to Liverpool scarily early for the party.... set off for Cumbria the next morning and had to WAIT for the hotel to get our room ready. The return trip across the A66 was a real eye opener..... Yes, the seats take fettling to get a "larger" person in, but after 770 miles, I would buy one. V6 natch, but I would hold out for the dark Blue or Green, with leather.

[Mr Lobster]

I had a 2.0 for a while and it was shit. Uncomfortable, slow, felt cheap and never really sure on the looks. A V6 would be better but I don't think I'd want another myself.

[Split_Pin]

There was one for sale at the Scottish Vintage Bus Museumm Open Day at Lathalmond last year. It was £1100 but the sills were full of wob, however I'd never really looked around one before and I thought it was lovely, especially the interior, which in this car was leather.

 

The styling of Ford's 'New'Edge' era cars is certainly looking better now than it ever did.

[R9UKE]

Wasn't expecting such a divide in opinion!

[Spiny Norman]

My 2p worth to add to the pot...

 

I looked at one of these with a mind to buy it a year or two ago, it was a silver V6 with all the toys including leather seats, and I quite liked the look of it from the outside, but I'm a real fussy bugger about interiors and the Cougar became another in the long list cars I liked in theory but turned down because I thought the interior was shit.

Just looked and felt like the Yank college kid special it is on the inside, couldn't do it.

 

Having said that, in hindsight it would have been a far better car than the shitheap of a Volvo C70 I ended up with, but that's another story...

[Albert Ross]

Watch for post 09/2001 cars, as the road tax goes up.....

[Ben_L]

Watch for post 09/2001 cars, as the road tax goes up.....

 

03/2001...?

[fordnut]

I like these and rate them highly, something of a bargain at the moment.

 

Essentially a MK2 Ford Mondeo, the 2.5 V6 with Leather is the one to go for. Mechanically they are very reliable and spares are plentiful due to the parts sharing with the Mondeo, however Front Wishbone bushes are very expensive to replace (shared with Mondeo ST200 only). Compared to other Fords they don't rust to badly and spares are plentiful secondhand, however numbers are dropping rapidly at the moment as they don't have any sort of following in Ford circles, prices are so low that they have become bridge-fodder and they are also highly rated for banger racing

 

From my experience with dealing with these models (I supply NOS Genuine Ford Parts for a living) some Cougar specific parts are extremely expensive to buy new and the availability of Cougar specific parts is not good although probably quite plentiful in the US. Panelwork is non-existant as per the Ford Puma, lights are mega expensive to replace. What I do get in sells straight away though.

 

Some good points noted particularly the tax bands for cars registered after March 2001, which is a shame as it makes the facelift version less desirable (has an interior very similar to that of the MK3 Mondeo, revised bumpers and headlamps). Ruffgeezer's reply is superb!!

[meggersdog]

Aren't the V6's group 18 insurance or something.I had a V6 for a short while and it didn't seem as revvy as the Probe nor did it have Mazda switchgear.Leather seats were just as slippy slidey and not that comfortable.They look ok to me and for what they are worth now you might aswell try one.

[In The Pit]

however numbers are dropping rapidly at the moment as they don't have any sort of following in Ford circles, prices are so low that they have become bridge-fodder and they are also highly rated for banger racing

:

 

As they are a Ford it's likely that in 10/15 years time these and the Puma will be worth silly money especially as they are both sporty cars.

 

You know nowadays people say I remember when MKI/MKII Escorts, Cortinas, Capris could be bought for a couple of hundred quid if only id known at the time etc. If you've got some shed space fill it with these as in 2026 people will be saying I remember when you could get Cougars and Pumas for....

[CortinaDave]

Had one for two years... 2008 - 2010.a T reg 2 litre. Loved it. Mondeo running costs but in a much nicer package. I found it a fairly perky beast and decent enough on fuel. Issues? Sunroof was borked from the day I bought it, i then discovered that NO cougar pre 2001 has a working sunroof. they used plastic runners that lasted twenty minutes and by now they are ALL broken. If you get one that has a sunroof it will be broken. no ifs or buts.

 

There was a mild facelift very late on with nicer headlights, better seats, dash etc and these are the ones to go for, but I believe they made only hundreds before ditching the cougar entirely.

 

I found a cougar 2 in u pull it recently and took the headlights from it - tenner each - sold em on ebay for £150

 

Mine was a great car and having just checked DVLA it seems T 85 JFU is still taxed and on the road.

[fordnut]

In The Pit is spot on.

 

Cortinadave were these pre-facelift or facelift units? I've got a brand new facelift one that I'm going to list on eBay shortly and I don't want to give it away but pitch it at a sensible price where it will sell quickly.

 

The facelift one is very rare I think around 500 were registered in the UK.

[Formula Autos]

I have one - a silver W reg V6.

 

I like it, but it is a bit of an acquired taste.

 

Plus points:

The noise

Not that slow (though no fireball)

Looks quite nice (if you like that sort of thing)

Mechanical parts are quite cheap (as it's a Ford)

Basic servicing is a doddle (as it's a Ford)

Did I mention the noise?

Massive boot

Timing chain, rather than a belt

The mother-in-law struggles to get in and out, so rarely gets a lift in it

Fuel consumption is OK for what it is (30 mpg ish)

In V6 form, loaded with kit

The noise

 

Bad points:

A bugger to reverse

Some parts made of unobtainium

Expensive insurance for a Ford

You might be mistaken for Gareth Cheeseman

You might be mistaken for a Chelsea Tractor driver, as people think you have a Kuga

My local Ford dealer doesn't want to know about supplying parts (though t'internet provides)

They are often Barried

Strangely light steering

Uncomfortable seats

All the additional electrical kit seems to quickly drain the battery if they're left sitting for more than a few days

Tyres are an odd size, and hard to get hold of (though I fitted a sligthly different size to get around this)

The standard brakes aren't really up to the job of restraining the V6 - though I've fitted grooved and vented discs and Greenstuff pads, which sort this out

Changing spark plugs takes hours, due to all the bits you have to remove

 

 

All in all, I like it, but can see why people are dismissive of them.

 

You can also (sort of) get a Haynes BOL for them - the American version (the Mercury Cougar) has a Chilton's manual for it, which sometimes comes in handy.

 

I ran mine as my daily driver for four years, using it every day and doing a minimum of 10K a year as work miles (plus what I racked up on my own time). It was pretty much faultless, reliability wise. I liked it so much that I've still got it, even though my daily driver is a Mondiesel.

 

In my opinion, pretty much all you could ever need a large-ish coupe to do, the Cougar does well.

[CortinaDave]

In The Pit is spot on.

 

Cortinadave were these pre-facelift or facelift units? I've got a brand new facelift one that I'm going to list on eBay shortly and I don't want to give it away but pitch it at a sensible price where it will sell quickly.

 

The facelift one is very rare I think around 500 were registered in the UK.

 

 

They were facelift ones (Cougar 2) although they were obviously off a scrapped car so not mint like a brand new one would be. I listed the pair as buy it now £150 and they sold after 3 days.

[406V6]

If you like the idea of one of these why not consider a 406 V6 coupe ? Probably better in most ways (except the 406 V6 has a cambelt needing a change every 5 years) but then I'm biased.

[R9UKE]

Formula Autos - an excellent post, exactly the kind of owners experience I was after - thanks you for that. The noise was one thing that struck me immediately! Common points highlighted seem to be shit plastics and uncomfortable seats. I thought both were ok, but then I thought the interior of my Chrysler Neon was a lovely place to be.

 

The 406 Coupé does absolutely nothing for me, especially with that drab interior, which is fine in a family car, not in a coupe. I've also got a 406 V6 estate so it'd be a bit pointless tbh. My friend has a V6 manual 406 Coupé and yeh, drives lovely, but didn't excite me beyond the engine - which I have here already!

 

Looking forward to owning one now. It'll be a nice change from the Frenchies

[DVee8]

On the blue forum

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.c ... ead=144667

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Binned by fRod after 12000 sales apparently. This chap kind of ruined everything (generally)...

Love the 'meeting the fit bird 20 years later' analogy!

[R9UKE]

Wow, cheers for that Mark. I have a friend coming over from Wales to buy a Vel Satis off me and am currently working out if he could bring that beauty over for me.

[ruffgeezer]

How did William Hague ruin Ford Cougar sales?

 

Perhaps he bought one?

[alfetta]

I bought one when my 190E got wrote off. V6 waterpumps have a habit of failing after 80K (in my experience it's not the actal pump that fails but some pointless metal disc inside comes loose and spins with the pump, grinding the alu housing away...) Mine lasted 8 months before the clutch fingers collapsed so I scrapped it. build is shitty - they're all built in Flat Rock, Michigan. wishbones are ST200 items that cost 200 quid a side to replace...rear subframes rot. drink fuel. I replaced it with a mk1 MX5 - a far better car all round.

 

mine was a blue V6 xpack with leather - looked nice but I wouldn't have another...

 

If you really want a V6 get the ST24/200 it just drives much better and has far nicer seats