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StatusSteve1

New user
Jun 28, 2014
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Winslow,United Kingdom
Hello to All,
Just bought 'S' Reg V6 2.5 Cougar Black. Always been the car of my dreams, and now it's one off my bucket list.
Q1) Having problems with the electronic Sun Roof, as it will not open, have checked fuses and they are okay.
Took it to my local garage only to be told, that they are unable to fix.
Anyone had similar problems, and how did you get it resolved?
Q2) Bit concerned about comments made by my local garage, stating that "You have bought yourself a BIG HEEP of problems in buying this model of car"
Not overlay concerned as it is the car I have always wanted, but need reasurreance concerning the comments made.
 
Need to be a bit more specific about the big heep of problems he is intimating at.

The sun roof is a known weakness.

There are other issues the car can have, but its a common comment from someone who is quite ignorant or anti-ford
 
Welcome to the club from another Steve

Yes they can be expensive to fix, but you're in the right place for all the advice you should need ;)
 
Genuinely, and honestly (and I'm no fan-boy of anything - I'm very much a realist with cars) the Cougar has a few mechanical wobbles but it's definitely in the upper echelons of anything from the same era by comparison.

The big V6 is a bit lethargic, but it's incredibly robust and reliable, 'better' similar engines from the same era, well, probably, any as unbustable? Probably not. The 'clever' (read A bit Heath-Robinson inlet manifold system can be a bit problematic, but more often than not it's fixed with a bit of fiddling rather than tons of cash for parts.

The chassis is pretty simple, they do rot (but this can be fixed) - they're based on highly proven mechanicals. It shouldn't suprise you, often a mechanic will ney-say purely on the basis it's an uncommon car, they had a bit of a 'rep' in the trade when they were new for attracting a certain clientele but that's nothing more than conjecture based on 1998. Usually assumed because they are not the most typical Ford of the era, and they they sold in low numbers by comparison, that they were crap cars.

Cheap, solid, pleasant to drive and with a bit of character,also you won't see one parked on every street.... What more could you want?
 
You'll find with mechanics that a large number of them feel to replace the words "Sorry, I don't know much about these" with an endless torrent of made-up drivel about problems, issues etc etc on pretty much anything that tends towards the unusual. I don't know why they do it, but it happens. A proportion of them are pathologically incapable of admitting that they haven't come across one before.

As above, Cougars are simple and robust.
 
Welcome steve,

I do the best part of 250 miles a week in my zetec and apart from a slight hiccup now and again probably down to running the fuel tank too low she runs perfectly and totally reliable, solid mechanicals from the mondy.

Known issues rusty rear subframe, front lower arm bushes, power steering cooler rusts, and its a big old girl to be throwing round corners o_O
 
Welcome Steve!

Just for giggles, tell your mechanic you're thinking of buying a MkII Mondeo as well, and ask what he thinks of them for reliability. :cautious:
 
Hi and welcome to ukcougar.org, your in the right place for all things cougar related, as well as some crazy banter. You will also be able to find all the fixes you need in our subscriber sections. Have a browse around the open forums and get a feel for the place. Remember! ukcougar.org is the only workshop manual for the big cat.
 
hello and welcome!
dun no who your mechanic was but i would'nt let him near it.
if he'd just looked at it a little closer he'd have seen its just a mondy with a sexy body ,and i think the mondy has more than proven its worth/reliability in the past.
my only advice to u is if its a good un get that underside (especially the rear subframe) undersealed asap and it'll last ages.
 
Thank you to all that responded to my questions:
Yes, the Cougar is the car I always wanted to own and drive, and I agree to ignore all negative and ignorant comments raised which prompted my questions.
Yes, I love the car and its drives better than any other car I have driven, to say it is nearly 15 year old.
Once again, many thanks to all......

- - - Updated - - -

Noticed you are from MK.
I live in Winslow, Buckingham. Is there a Cougar meet a great day out for Cougar owners locally???
 
StatusSteve1 said:
Noticed you are from MK.
I live in Winslow, Buckingham. Is there a Cougar meet a great day out for Cougar owners locally???
Click to expand...

Not Cougar-specific as such apart from Cougar Fest, which was this weekend at Grendon Lakes. My advice to you would be to get yourself in on an MSFM (Mini-Fix/Swap-Meet) near you which - to me - is the heart of what we're about.

Someone with a problem will put a call out for help. People will come from far and wide to offer spanner time and, if you're the host, all you have to do is provide parts and food/tea. There's usually a half dozen people there, so it's a good way to get to know us without being overwhelmed like you might be at a national show.

Doesn't even matter if you know nothing about the cars; as long as you can cook, clean, or just lug stuff around you'll be welcome.
 
StatusSteve1 said:
Thank you to all that responded to my questions:
Yes, the Cougar is the car I always wanted to own and drive, and I agree to ignore all negative and ignorant comments raised which prompted my questions.
Yes, I love the car and its drives better than any other car I have driven, to say it is nearly 15 year old.
Once again, many thanks to all......

- - - Updated - - -

Noticed you are from MK.
I live in Winslow, Buckingham. Is there a Cougar meet a great day out for Cougar owners locally???
Click to expand...

Steve, there is a ticket available for Ford Fair at Silverstone on 3rd August, great show and nice and local for you to break your duck :)
 
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