Planing to get a Cougar, any recomendations

S

Shilis

New user
Jan 23, 2011
8
0
Lithuania
Hello, I really like the design and price of Cougar, but also have read plenty bad reports on the car.

What is you opinion on the car, should I buy it?

Should I choose 2 l zetec or 2,5 duratec (i've read that Duratec is better, not only by power, but overall).

Is the year of cougar very important? Most available to buy for me are made on 1999 are they good or should I look for newer?

I've read here, that Cougars often have engine's problems if they were not take care well, what else I should have in mind when choosing the right cougar?

Thank you for your responses!
 
I was surprised by insurance and quotes I got on the main sites (compare the meerkat and confused.com were quite wrong when I did phone the companies up they added extras on the cost of the insurance.

Pretty much any engine will have problems if not looked after.

I suppose it depends on your budget, if you can afford the fuel and insurance for the V6 then go for it. The 2L zetec in mine has just gone over 120K and still, its running well. Although will need a service in the next few months.

Year of cougar, they changed the design in 2001 (I think) and I think the front looks better and I might in the future sell my 98 model and get a newer cougar in black, with the newer facelift.

Upgrades can be done I see as with many cars and parts are not to rare that you can't find them.

I'd say if you like the car and you don't need 4/5 doors and you can afford the insurance then why not? you only live once!

Oh and another thing, if you still need a big boot the back seats go down and you can fit quite a bit of stuff in the back! (I can fit 2 bikes with front wheels off) in the back.
 
Go for a 2.5 V6, they're usefully more powerful in comparison to the 2.0 and much smoother. Neither are going to be fantastic on fuel, but you can easily get 28-30MPG or more aeound town from the V6 if you don't boot it, with 35+MPG being easily achieveable at a steady motorway cruise. Spank it everywhere and you'll be looking at around 18-19MPG. The 2.0 is slighlty better fuel wise, but not there's not as much of a difference as you might imagine.

Go for condition and mileage before age, a well cared for 1999 car is a much better proposition that a spanked 2001 car. A well maintained V6 engine will easily push out 150,000+ miles.

V6s are very particular about oil, they must have the right type (5w30) and the right amount, letting them run low can starve two of the cylinders before the other four, leading to broken engines. Listen for any nasty clattering noises at tickover to give you a clue. Also, make sure you do the usual check of looking at the underside of the oil filler cap for any traces of milky gunge, indicating head gasket woes.

Wishbones: The Cougar's Achilles' heel. The front suspension wishbones have been designed in such a way that the bushes are irreplaceable, so you have to change the entire wishbone when they go - nice! It's about £200 ish to do a pair, depending where you buy them and who fits them. An easy way to check their condition is to put the car on full lock and drive at around walking pace, if you feel a juddering sensation then they're going south. Also check the front tyres for uneven wear. The wishbones issue affects V6s and 2.0s alike, you can reasonably expect to see around 100,000 miles from a set though.

Subframes: Check the front and rear subframes for excessive rust, a few are now starting to die, causing MOT failure. If caught in time, a good scrub down with a wire brush and a liberal coating of Waxoyl will see them right though.

Brake pipes: As per subframes.

Other than the above, there's not really much that goes wrong. The Cougar is essentially a MK2 Mondeo ST24 with a (very) pretty body plonked on top and, as such, is pretty reliable when well looked after. I've owned two now and have never had any major mechanical problems with either.
 
The-Computer-Saint said:
I was surprised by insurance and quotes I got on the main sites (compare the meerkat and confused.com were quite wrong when I did phone the companies up they added extras on the cost of the insurance.

Pretty much any engine will have problems if not looked after.

I suppose it depends on your budget, if you can afford the fuel and insurance for the V6 then go for it. The 2L zetec in mine has just gone over 120K and still, its running well. Although will need a service in the next few months.

Year of cougar, they changed the design in 2001 (I think) and I think the front looks better and I might in the future sell my 98 model and get a newer cougar in black, with the newer facelift.

Upgrades can be done I see as with many cars and parts are not to rare that you can't find them.

I'd say if you like the car and you don't need 4/5 doors and you can afford the insurance then why not? you only live once!

Oh and another thing, if you still need a big boot the back seats go down and you can fit quite a bit of stuff in the back! (I can fit 2 bikes with front wheels off) in the back.
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Seriously???
 
Hi shilis, and welcome to ukcougar.com, 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.com is the only workshop manual for the big cat.
Just remember whatever engine you go for, take it for a good test drive, and give it some welly. Better to break it on the test drive than after you've taken it home.
One of the most common niggles with the cougar is the rear suspension droplinks. They can rattle after high miles, but they are extremely inexpensive and easy to replace.
 
Hi Shilis and welcome to the forum - we have a member on here from your neck of the woods - shywaz - might be worth dropping him a PM about the pros and cons of owning a cougar in Lithuania - he'd be more clued up about the availability of parts, tax and insurance issues etc (y)
 
Thank you all guys, you are very helpful.

I have just checked insurance prices, the difference between 2.0 and 2,5 l is only around 10 Euro a year, so this is not a major issue. Fuel economy would be the only reason to go to 2.0l engine, but you said that I will not save much with that., therefore most probably I shall be looking for 2,5 l engine.

As for C1 and C2 I understand there will never be consent which looks better. But since there are more C1 on the market and C1 doesn't look any worse for me (personal opinion), I shall go for C1. But I was interested if any other changes (except the looks) were made in C2? Pid mentioned c2 has slightly smaller engine, is it anyway better/worse that c1? Maybe anything else has been changed?

You see I have read, that there were many recalls of cougars regarding fuel pumps and other issues (at least those made under mercury sign), therefore I thought that maybe some annoying issues that had 1999 year cougar were solved in cougar year 2000 or 2001?

Thank you once again.
 
mofo sob said:
Hi Shilis and welcome to the forum - we have a member on here from your neck of the woods - shywaz - might be worth dropping him a PM about the pros and cons of owning a cougar in Lithuania - he'd be more clued up about the availability of parts, tax and insurance issues etc (y)
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Can't do that right now: "To be able to send PMs your post count must be 15 or greater." But do not worry, I shall not spam. ;)
 
Ive loved my v6 from the moment I bought her over 3 years ago, I've driven a lot of cars over the years, due to a job i once had i was getting hire cars of all makes and models given to me left right and centre and none came close to the quality of drive from the cougar.

The v6 engine is sublime aswell, from what i understand its enginered more for torque rather than acceleration, and if your a lazy gear changer like me as soon as you reach 20 you can put it in 5th and leave it there and it will still pull, its brill knowing your gonna go right at a roundabout and not have to change down.

I may cause a little controversy here but the v6 is 1 to buy. I service my car myself for around 40-50 quid each time, even the guy at the MOT station said thats the sweetest 10 year old engine ive ever heard, which is a massive compliment.

Don't worry about the cost of parts either as it was built basically from a mondeo parts are relatively cheap, and quite common second hand.

The only brand new replacement part i've bought was the idle air valve for £50 direct from ford too, and the only other major part (so far) was the alternator which i picked up for £35 second hand, which worked a treat.

Go for it mate, trust me when you give it some beans and that extra bank of valves open up at around 3500 revs, its like a little turbo kicking in and you'll love it, not forgetting the engine note (sounds brilliant).

Adding possibly more controversy personally i prefer the front on the C1 :)
 
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