OT: Mercury Cougar

WookieOnRitalin · 02-16-2005, 03:50 PM

What do you guys think of this car and what do you know about it.

Comparable to the new Mazda3, but being the car buyer on the market...I'd have to throw this in the mix. When you talk about dollars when it comes to cars then you have to look at the used and the new. A new Mazda3 with what I want on the car will be 19,300 (probably 18-7 or 18-8). Now, a used 2002 Mecury Cougar under 30k miles at 13,000 or less.

There's quite a nice gap in there for modding and adding.

I don't know a whole lot about the car itself so I wanted to know what yall thought about the car. Piece of crap? Unreliable? What?

Would it be worth it or should I just opt for a new 3?

blynzoo · 02-16-2005, 04:02 PM

Friend of mine had one, but he thrashed the hell out of it, so I dont know how well it would hold up normally.

v6 was fun, the stick was smooth (drove it several times). His only beef was electrical: the sunroof stopped working, albeit after about 3 yrs -- it was factory. The cig lighter stopped working as well.

Other than that, he enjoyed it a lot. The suspension was tight, but not mazda tight (Ford Probe 4-cyl tight). He tore the hell out of it as I said, so I dont know how much longer it would have lasted had he treated it as a granny daily driver. I can say it held up better than some fords I have seen to the beating, but then again it's the auto trannies that get weak in the first place.

If you find a manual that has had dealer service, I say go for it. I did research for him when he wanted to go F/I, and found 2 turbo and one supercharger kits for the car.

Mr. Win · 02-16-2005, 04:03 PM

buy a used msp...

Jake1 · 02-16-2005, 09:05 PM

My sis has a V6 Cougar and she hates the thing. Something always seems to be going wrong with it. For one, I wouldn't wish having to sit in the back seat of one of those things on anyone. Secondly, for a V6, 2 litres seems pretty weak. Feels heavy to drive, the car looks way too big for a coupe, and I always see chicks driving them. Don't mean to bash on them too much, I just guess I'm biased ever since I got my 3.

WookieOnRitalin · 02-16-2005, 09:28 PM

On that note...I saw a 3 5-door on the road tonight on the way to school. The guy driving it was moving. Darting and accelerating quickly. It looks nimble, fast, and responsive. Of course, the guy almost ran into me trying to pass a truck. This guy had his turning light on and the driver side mirror was blinking as well. I didn't know that was a feature on the 3. Is it? Or did that guy just do it himself?

I just thought I'd see what people thought of the Cougar. Thanks.

RonH · 02-17-2005, 01:53 AM

My first hand experience with a Cougar was in 1968, a '67 Cougar which I bought. My next experience with a Cougar was a '68 in '1987 that I bought and dropped in a 5.0 HO, C-4 with a shift kit, Edlebrock intake, Holley 600 4 barrel and a few other goodies. It was fairly fast and looked good but my son wanted to buy it from me so I sold it.

My next experience with a Cougar was when the last one came out in the late '90's, which is actually a Mercury Mercur (SP).
My first impression was it looked pretty good, until I tried to sit in the driver seat, which I first moved back and still cracked my knee on the steering wheel. I then tried the rear seat and found it was also a tight fit. I then looked inside the hatch and stared in wonder what the engineers were thinking with that layout.

I then walked away.

moxnix · 02-17-2005, 08:14 AM

The newer(99+) cougar has a lot in common with with ford contour/murcury mystique 4 door cars.

Engines - V6 2.5L Duratec 170HP is what the contiques I drove had and I never had problems with it until it Threw a rod at 142,000 miles.

I4 2.0L Zetec (this is the same basic engine that was in most Focus's until this year) I dont remember the HP or anymore specs on this engine.

Tranny - Get the manual.

For more infomormation about them check out Neco http://www.fastcougar.com/forums/

*JOS3* · 02-17-2005, 08:19 AM

a cougar? wtf. that car is gay

centsless · 02-17-2005, 08:25 AM

have you ever driven one of those, they drive worse that those crapaliers out there.. hideous i would say..

goldwing2000 · 02-17-2005, 09:21 AM

I can only add one thing:

They stopped making them for a reason.

Think about it.

Mazda P5 driver · 02-20-2005, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jake1

My sis has a V6 Cougar and she hates the thing. Something always seems to be going wrong with it. For one, I wouldn't wish having to sit in the back seat of one of those things on anyone. Secondly, for a V6, 2 litres seems pretty weak. Feels heavy to drive, the car looks way too big for a coupe, and I always see chicks driving them. Don't mean to bash on them too much, I just guess I'm biased ever since I got my 3.

It's big becaise it shares the platform with the Contour. It pretty much was a 2 door Contour.

Mazda P5 driver · 02-20-2005, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moxnix

The newer(99+) cougar has a lot in common with with ford contour/murcury mystique 4 door cars.

Engines - V6 2.5L Duratec 170HP is what the contiques I drove had and I never had problems with it until it Threw a rod at 142,000 miles.

I4 2.0L Zetec (this is the same basic engine that was in most Focus's until this year) I dont remember the HP or anymore specs on this engine.

Tranny - Get the manual.

For more infomormation about them check out Neco http://www.fastcougar.com/forums/

The Zetec was about 130hp/135tq.

Mazda P5 driver · 02-20-2005, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by centsless

have you ever driven one of those, they drive worse that those crapaliers out there.. hideous i would say..

I used to own a Contour, and I can say it wasn't bad at all. If you think it was a bad ride you must have been in a badly modified one. The Contour had a pretty decent suspension and was pretty locked down. The Zetec was smooooth unlike the rough loud one the P5 comes with. On long sweepers I firmly believe it would kick the P5's ass quite easily. It felt much much more stable in cornering then the P5 does. Short corners the P5 can take it though.

I would like to know where you get your opinion from.

Mazda P5 driver · 02-20-2005, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldwing2000

I can only add one thing:

They stopped making them for a reason.

Think about it.

The 2 door yes, the Contour/Mystique..yes..The Mondeo..not even close. AFAIK they quite because it was too closely priced to a Taurus which is bigger. Not a good thing really.

IMO, if they brought the Euro Mondeo here AS IS, Toyota and Honda etc would see sales drops.

hworth18 · 02-20-2005, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldwing2000

I can only add one thing:

They stopped making them for a reason.

Think about it.

I have to agree.. I haven't known anyone to have one that didn't think they were crap.. Poor sales reflected it also..

02-16-2005, 03:50 PM	#1
WookieOnRitalin Registered User Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 54	OT: Mercury Cougar What do you guys think of this car and what do you know about it. Comparable to the new Mazda3, but being the car buyer on the market...I'd have to throw this in the mix. When you talk about dollars when it comes to cars then you have to look at the used and the new. A new Mazda3 with what I want on the car will be 19,300 (probably 18-7 or 18-8). Now, a used 2002 Mecury Cougar under 30k miles at 13,000 or less. There's quite a nice gap in there for modding and adding. I don't know a whole lot about the car itself so I wanted to know what yall thought about the car. Piece of crap? Unreliable? What? Would it be worth it or should I just opt for a new 3?

02-16-2005, 04:02 PM	#2
blynzoo calmest cat on the board Donated: 10$ Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 1,611	Friend of mine had one, but he thrashed the hell out of it, so I dont know how well it would hold up normally. v6 was fun, the stick was smooth (drove it several times). His only beef was electrical: the sunroof stopped working, albeit after about 3 yrs -- it was factory. The cig lighter stopped working as well. Other than that, he enjoyed it a lot. The suspension was tight, but not mazda tight (Ford Probe 4-cyl tight). He tore the hell out of it as I said, so I dont know how much longer it would have lasted had he treated it as a granny daily driver. I can say it held up better than some fords I have seen to the beating, but then again it's the auto trannies that get weak in the first place. If you find a manual that has had dealer service, I say go for it. I did research for him when he wanted to go F/I, and found 2 turbo and one supercharger kits for the car. __________________ --Your Man B DISCLAIMER: All Mazda corporate employees, Mazda dealerships, Mazda service personnel or employees, family, friends, or acquaintances thereof: This in no way constitutes an admission or acknowledgement of tampering, modification, usage, or alteration of any vehicle in my possession or component thereof in such a fashion as to void, cancel, deny or otherwise refuse service on any service contracts, warrantees, or recall notices covering said vehicles. This and other posts submitted on this, or any Internet forum, under the screen name "blynzoom" simply represent an attempt to gain acceptance from a peer group espousing cars of a high performance nature - especially those that have been altered to improve, enhance, or otherwise modify the automobile's natural characteristics. Any statements, claims, or graphical representations made that would constitute a violation of any contractual agreement are to be considered fictitious and not to be accepted in any court of law, or similar environment mediated for the purpose of dispute resolution. To report problems with a Mazda dealer, or report a problem to Mazda that the dealer will not fix, PLEASE contact Mazda NA at http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/contactMazda.action .

02-16-2005, 09:05 PM	#4
Jake1 Gyaaaa!!! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 141	My sis has a V6 Cougar and she hates the thing. Something always seems to be going wrong with it. For one, I wouldn't wish having to sit in the back seat of one of those things on anyone. Secondly, for a V6, 2 litres seems pretty weak. Feels heavy to drive, the car looks way too big for a coupe, and I always see chicks driving them. Don't mean to bash on them too much, I just guess I'm biased ever since I got my 3. __________________ MZ3s black mica 5-dr. [I]-aluminum fuel door -Ultimate Pedals custom pedal set -Mazdaspeed shift knob & e-brake handle -Streetglow interior neons -Enigma 2.5" antenna -Magnaflow cat-back -K&N Typhoon CAI

02-17-2005, 09:21 AM	#10
goldwing2000 Turd in the punch bowl Michigan Moderator Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bunker Hill, MI Posts: 5,928	I can only add one thing: They stopped making them for a reason. Think about it. __________________ ~Kane Mods: ~Eiback Pro-Kit & adjustable camber links ~Red AEM CAI ~hot wired cigarette lighter ~130psi air horns ~10ga. ETB Ground ~Kumho Ecsta ASX on stock wheels ~Corksport SS Brake Lines ~AWR Rear Mount ~Monzsta Timing Mod ~Spoiler Delete ~RDX Antena Accessories: ~A/W floor mats ~cargo tray and net ~autodim r/v mirror with compass and temp ~rear bumper step plates ~mazda M/T pedal set http://www.geocities.com/kvincen1/Mazda3.html

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02-16-2005, 09:28 PM	#5
WookieOnRitalin Registered User Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 54	On that note...I saw a 3 5-door on the road tonight on the way to school. The guy driving it was moving. Darting and accelerating quickly. It looks nimble, fast, and responsive. Of course, the guy almost ran into me trying to pass a truck. This guy had his turning light on and the driver side mirror was blinking as well. I didn't know that was a feature on the 3. Is it? Or did that guy just do it himself? I just thought I'd see what people thought of the Cougar. Thanks.

02-17-2005, 01:53 AM	#6
RonH Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: St. Petersburg, Florida Posts: 191	My first hand experience with a Cougar was in 1968, a '67 Cougar which I bought. My next experience with a Cougar was a '68 in '1987 that I bought and dropped in a 5.0 HO, C-4 with a shift kit, Edlebrock intake, Holley 600 4 barrel and a few other goodies. It was fairly fast and looked good but my son wanted to buy it from me so I sold it. My next experience with a Cougar was when the last one came out in the late '90's, which is actually a Mercury Mercur (SP). My first impression was it looked pretty good, until I tried to sit in the driver seat, which I first moved back and still cracked my knee on the steering wheel. I then tried the rear seat and found it was also a tight fit. I then looked inside the hatch and stared in wonder what the engineers were thinking with that layout. I then walked away.

02-17-2005, 08:14 AM	#7
moxnix Owned by AutoX Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: NoVA Posts: 836	The newer(99+) cougar has a lot in common with with ford contour/murcury mystique 4 door cars. Engines - V6 2.5L Duratec 170HP is what the contiques I drove had and I never had problems with it until it Threw a rod at 142,000 miles. I4 2.0L Zetec (this is the same basic engine that was in most Focus's until this year) I dont remember the HP or anymore specs on this engine. Tranny - Get the manual. For more infomormation about them check out Neco http://www.fastcougar.com/forums/

02-17-2005, 08:19 AM	#8
JOS3 0wn3d! Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: willisconsinois Posts: 11,437	a cougar? wtf. that car is gay

02-17-2005, 08:25 AM	#9
centsless Breaking the silence!!! Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 252	have you ever driven one of those, they drive worse that those crapaliers out there.. hideous i would say..

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