Not quite a new owner but I've got a few questions

cougar

cougar

Well-known user
May 6, 2010
718
62
staffordshire
I've been looking for a Cougar for a few weeks,

I'm looking at the cheaper end of the market, so sub £1000. I wanted a v6 really with leather but there has been nothing close by. The first one within at least 30 miles has just popped up but it's a 2.0 litre with cloth seats.

I'm hopefully going to have a look tomorrow, is there anything to look out for? This one had a dent, and a scuff and the interior was a bit grubby, but the miles are low and the service history is good with a recent cam belt change.

So is there anything I should look for when viewing? I've noticed quite a few now saying they've just had £200 welding done etc, where are the common bits that need welding?

How well do Childrens Seats fit in the back?

How much do tyres cost, the one I'm going to look at needs two new tyres soonish. I was told they were a bit of an odd size and could cost a fair bit.

Thanks!
 
listen i got mine for 850 and i got my black one for 1100 and this one that cost 850 knocks the **** out of the black one. and its leather


things to look out for are

boot struts, rear beam, central locking works, and alot more like any car
 
I wouldn't just jump in and buy just because it's close to you mate. Take your time looking around and the right one for you will eventually appear. Have a look through the forum as there are sometimes one or two members cars for sale. Make sure the car has a good service history, all the panels are straight, check the front wishbones as these will set you back a bit for repairs, Cambelt changed on a Zetec, V6 has a chain so forget about that, have a good look for rust underside, hit the subframes with a hammer if you like to see how solid they are, just the usual things that you would check on any car you were thinking of buying.
As for the child seat, remember the Cougar is only a two door car. As for tyres, yes they are a wierd size, but, you can change up a size and they are more readily available and cheaper. I think the standards are 205 and you can go up to 225 if you want. There is a thread on here somewhere that explains it all.

By the way, welcome to ukcougar.com. You are in the right place to find out everything you need to know about the Cougar.
 
im with the rest of ther guys take your time its worth travelling 100 miles to get the right car and v6,s with leather can be got for less than 1k
 
yeah mine was 850 with leather' full service history and in good condition.

i also travelled for it
 
Looks okay. If you have a pry bar, check the wishbones for play in the bushes. When you take it for a test drive, if it is very wishy washy at the front end, then that is a sign that they may be on their way out.
This is the main area for an MOT fail IMHO.

The tyres have a little life in them, but stock tyres (215 50 16's) are very expensive and very rare. Its often cheaper to go up a size or indeed get a set of alloys with tyres!

Most other things can be fettled. The cambelt has been done which is good, but ask to see proof of all the history that is claimed.

The main thing is take it for a good drive on a mix of roads - town, a roads, motorways and find a bumpy road for obvious rattles from the suspension. If there is a knocking from the suspension, this is usually just drop links (about 10 quid each) but its a good way of knocking the price down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Thanks for that, I'm going to go have a look if it seems OK and it's cheap enough then I'll go for it if not it at least gives me something to compare the next one to!

Not sure he'd appreciate me using a prybar on the car, so will probably have to rely on the test drive.
 
It seems OK bud, having said that, if you really want a V6 then WAIT!! Don't 'jump' at the 1st car or you'll always be thinking "I wish I had the V6"
There are plenty around for 'silly' low money at the minute, as others have said "It's better to travel for the right one"

As for the scratches, bear in mind that for a decent spray job it'll cost about £200 per panel, they don't look like they'll polish out.

Good luck in your search & welcome to UKCOUGAR.COM the 'home' of the Cougar (y)
 
I bought it, picking it up later. Seemed really nice to drive no knocks or bangs, engine was nice and smooth, clutch felt good as did brakes.

Hopefully it will be OK, scratches may polish out with a bit of hard work but the dents were a bit worse than they look on the picture.

Agreed a fair price based on dents and scratches etc. Back tyres both looked fine.

Back tyres were different size to front tyres, so I presume he had cheaper tyres fitted to the front, will probably match them up on the rear when they need doing.

Underneath was very tidy, cills were excellent, the rear beam was rusty but seemed solid. It looked like it had been fairly well looked after, so fingers crossed it will be ok.
 
nice one mate. congrats.

prepare to have your wallet emptied by all the modifications you are presently promising yourself that you wont be buying!

As you will have gathered there are subscriber sections to the site. Its £13 a year and will save you a fortune.
 
Yes I'd noticed the members bit - will be subscribing shortly.

Having now driven it back home, it drives perfectly so far but I thought it was a little flat - but have never driven one so can't compare it directly. Got to give it a quick service so will check the air filter and spark plugs to make sure it's all OK. Also thought it was a little lumpy at slow speeds which I had heard they had a habit of but thought that was more the V6.

Very comfortable drive though.

I'm sure I'll have loads of questions soon.
 
you can get a great deal on a service kit from casscougar.
He works for a Ford garage and gets us huge discounts on geniune bits and unipart bits
 
cougar571 said:

As for the scratches, bear in mind that for a decent spray job it'll cost about £200 per panel, they don't look like they'll polish out.
Click to expand...

The scratches polished out, I spent an hour outside with a tube of T-Cut Scratch Remover paste. The scratches weren't deep but there was such a lot of them together that you saw the white patch a mile off. It looked like someone had used a kitchen scourer to remove bird muck or something similar so the scratches weren't deep. Can't see them at all now.

Now it's just the parking dings in the drivers side which I don't think I've got much chance of removing!

Also fixed that fact that it didn't seem to go very fast, the foot mat was stopping the accelerator going all the way down - easy fix there.

Looking through the service it's had quite a bit in the last 18 months - new pads, new discs, new brake lines, new front tyres, cambelt.

Fingers crossed it doesn't need too much for the next MOT
 
Well done, how do your shoulders feel now?! :D Also a pretty easy fix with the accelerator pedal! Hope you enjoy it, im sure you will, the cougar is a cracking car for the money, although do you mind me asking how much you paid? Cheeky, but hey its nice to know what they are worth!
 
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