cougar ?

[ninestar]

Cougars don't seem to be that popular but I've never been one to follow too many trends. I'm a sucker for slick lookin' coupes. Am looking at buying a 2000 cougar. I've read as many reviews as I could about it but would like to hear some more local knowledge and experiences.

1. How is the power and handling ? Acceleration ?
2. More importantly, it's reliability ?
3. How hard is it to find parts for it and is it quite costly to repair/maintain ? (I heard tires are a bit pricey for it)

Thanks guys.

[thearrow]

I have had a lot of cars over the years including a V8 Monaro and I can honestly say my Cougar is the best car I have owned. Maintainence is no worse than any other car, remember Cougars are basically a two door mondeo, and there are plenty of them around.

Also modifications are relatively cheap and the cars look great and really get a lot of attention.

Be prepared for people to come up to you in the street and ask you "What kind of car is THAT?????" :

As regards tyres you are only going to replace them every 100K anyway (as long as you look after them).

Mate, you can't go wrong they are great cars.

[FumDuk]

Mate, I have only had my cougar for a little over a month and still cant get enough... I make excuses just to go for a drive, and when I go to get the paper I head across town to the furthest milkbar just cos I love the drive!!! (and the chick in the milkbar across town is freaking hot)...
Trust me, you will love driving a cougar!
I did a full service on her before the easter break and it was a bit more than I would normally pay, just over $230. The bloody spark plugs were $26 each!
As for tryres... I'm not planning on keeping the stock wheels... Are you?

[Dshibi]

Hi ninestar, welcome to the world of Cougars. Be careful, my simple 'interest' in Cougars ended up with me buying one and putting a lot of money into it, but also whilst spending hours of enjoyment behind the wheel! I think the same story goes for most (hopefully all) of the Cougar owners here...

1. How is the power and handling ? Acceleration ?

Ok... power is not bad, but not great at 125kw/220nm from a 2.5L V6. She's no rocket ship, but it's fast enough for me, and gives me the sense of going fast so meh. Handling is superb, as Euroford's generally are.

2. More importantly, it's reliability ?

Never had a real major problem so far, except some electrical faults and door actuators etc. These have been pricey, so thank god for manufacturers warranty. Unfortunately, parts can be expensive for these cars, and they can also be hard to come by because of their lack of popularity. i.e, $65 for a single wheel nut, $600 for a door actuator (my car has gone through two), $60 odd for a door sill, $1200 for a windscreen...

3. How hard is it to find parts for it and is it quite costly to repair/maintain ? (I heard tires are a bit pricey for it)

Umm... see above. Ford Genuine parts will suck you dry if you need them. Tyres are about as expensive as the brand you decide to put on there, but the 215/50/16's (correct me if I'm wrong guys) are expensive if replaced with the same rubber. Changing to 225 will probably be a better option. Or, just change your rims.

I have to disagree to some point with TheArrow about cheap modifications. Sure, you can buy a pod for next to nothing, and probably source some wheels for a reasonable price, throw some springs in at all the same price, but I've learnt from the bodykit, pod aircharger kit, short shifter, stereo install, rims etc that you can get absolutely rorted for money in some of these areas.

I guess it depends what modifications you're after, but mods will either be expensive, or troublesome with some places as they have no idea what on earth a Cougar is. (Mine's been confused for a Courier, and too often people think they know all about Cougar's because they did some work on a Probe... no, they are different cars). The 4x108 stud pattern will restrict your wheel choice depending what size/style you're after.

All in all... regardless of the money spent, it's all been worth it.

Good luck with your search, and research at this point in seeing if she's the right one for you. Go find one, take it for a drive and see how you like it. If you want more information, by all means, ask us!

Dan

[ninestar]

Hey guys.

Thanks heaps for all your help, very informative. At this point, still undecided wether to sell my car and get another one or keep it. Repairs are nearly all done (don't ask what I've got) so now's crunch time again. Keep or sell.

Thanks again !

[professorsabre]

I'm not going to ask what you got done and how much you've, (although I'm dying to ask) , it's a little hard to pass advise on without knowing specifics. So in general if you've fixed ALL your problems why not keep the car and enjoy the time and money you've put into it.
Cheers