an aprehensive almost to be new owner of a cougar

  • Thread starter scottmarsden@saintly.com
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scottmarsden@saintly.com

Any advice would be appreciated:

almost about to buy a T (1999) 2.5 V6 Cougar (1200quid) - seems to be in mint condition, FSH and looks like 2 carefull owners.

However on taking it for a spin (i was in deepest Surrey, so couldn't get past 40MPH!!) i noticed ride was harsh and steering seemed to have a mind of its own when driving over minor road bumps - informed the seller of this

Seller was going to MOT it anyhow - got a call today to say that it had a cracked wishbone, now replaced, passed MOT and had a service

My concern(s):

1. would this be why the ride was so harsh and steering a bit wishy-washy?
2. Should both wishbones have been replaced?
3. Could it have something to do with the subframe not being re-set properly?
4. Anything else i should look out for / be aware of?

Look forward to hearing from you and being a Cougar owner (and then subscribing to this forum)

cheers

Scotty M
 
Hello mate, it would be wise to change both wishbones as they usually fail quite close to each other, as for ride being harsh, depends what you have just come from driving, the standard suspension is firmer on the cougar than alot of cars, my advice is to have a good look around before purchasing one mate check the classifieds section there are a couple in there which have been well looked after. You get alot of car for your money but its still worth having a good hunt around (y)
 
wishbones and bolts are around £250 from a friendly ebay supplier (over 300 from fraud) plus fitting.

Sounds very much like they need doing.

1200 for a standard t plate is quite expensive
 
Ride should not be harsh but should be firm it is the same set up as a st200 mondeo and it is a heavy ish car so the springs and shocks are pretty firm compared to most cars.

Wishbones get the other done if the one has been done as they wear pretty even possibly passenger (nearside) will get a bit more as it is closer to the edge of the road where thedrains and holes tend to be.

Steering should be heavy ish with good feedback but not "all over the place" there will be a bit of slack if the wishbones were shot but this will be felt as a bit of float or slack when moving from straight ahead once loaded up it should settle as the weight of the car will have put pressure on the slack bushes causing it to feel better so most likely the wishbones will have caused this alongwith the drop links which are around £8-12 each.

The wishbones are one of the bigger costs for the cougar so if one has already been done thats a good start.

hope it pans out ok.

JJ
 
Hi Mate - go and test another one when you can get it above 40 and then go back to it if it was really in good shape. Try and see them from cold as many of the cougar noises will be more prevalent on startup. Make sure the service history lists the right oil for the car.

Big spends are the clutch and the wishbones generally the rest is normal wear and tear that you'd expect on an 11 year old car (one of the knowledgable guys will be on in a while and add some more specifics to this list).

They are great motors to drive though mate but you need to try a couple first
 
I'd have to agree with scunny on this. £1200 does sound a bit steep, unless the car is immaculate & done very low mileage (70k or less).

You'll find there are loads of cougars for sale on fleabay & some on this site...........don't rush into anything & have a good look around first.

Mine is a W reg V6 X-pack (the one with a leather interior & multi CD changer in the boot), which had only done 54k & I picked it up for £1200...................don't be afraid to haggle & have some cash to flash!(y)
 
for £1200 it would need to be in good nick with all the parts that need replacing at that age already done