Puma 2 Cougar

I think its down to how the engine is maintained and how it is driven that gives the differences. most dead engines are from no oil starving 2 cyl or from thrashing over a period of time IMO
ive had my V6 for over 3 years and although ive changed the IMRC that is the only thing ive had to do. everything else was by choice ie waterpump even tho its metal type. The ABS module was spiked when i bought the car but that was due to the idiot at the garage boosting it off not mechanical fault.
I believe the v6 is superior fundamentally ie chain drive, all aluminium. in the real world most people who service and maintain their own car will find it no worse to work on and if you use a garage then who cares its someone elses problem lol
 
jamie_duff said:
I'm pretty sure I have a spare 7cc 2 stroke glowplug engine you can have Alan. That'll save you some weight and it's even easier to work on :LOL:
Click to expand...

Thanks Jamie, i look forward to it, i like "easy" :)

Relliott6879 said:
Bit harsh there Al. I ran my first V6 Cougar for three years and I've had this one for two, both without the slightest hint of mechanical unreliablity or fragility, the IMRC on both cars included, and I'm pretty sure I haven't randomly dropped across the only two reliable V6 Cougars made. If the worst happens and you get 'the dreaded V6 rattle' (itself not exactly an everyday occurence) signifying a dead lump, sourcing and having a entire relacement engine fitted is still usually substantially less than £1k, most other problems are fixable with a bit of know how without breaking the bank, as has been documented on this forum time and again. Plus, Zetecs themselves aren't immune to dying and needing replacing, you yourself had a new one not so long ago!
Click to expand...

Probably not my best chapter, and not how i intended it to come across, just me trying to express my opinion.
You are correct Rich, indeed no engine or anything mechanical for that matter is immune to failure, infact by the nature of mechanics, they are all prone to fail sooner or later.
My engine though was changed finally by choice not by neccesity. I had the spare to work on prior to what at the time i thought was terminal failure which turned out to be a simple oil leak.
Apologies if i upset any of you V6 guys, though it does make a change for the boot to be on the other foot :p ;)
 
reliability wise Rich i have had 2 V6 Cougars which have been very reliable, had my first one for 4 years before i desimated the engine in in such a way that 2 pistons came up through the heads and UIM and my current one which has the rattle of death after 3 years of ownership and has occurred since i let a garage do the the servicing rather than myself and they have used the wrong oil, now i know i have driven my car hard and that may be the cause but i like to believe it is because the garage put 20W40 oil in as thats what they had available :oops: aside from that My cars always received a Major service every 6 months and aside from oil and filters, one set of wishbones and drop links all round my current Cougar has never missed a beat (y)
 
Procomm said:
reliability wise Rich i have had 2 V6 Cougars which have been very reliable, had my first one for 4 years before i desimated the engine in in such a way that 2 pistons came up through the heads and UIM and my current one which has the rattle of death after 3 years of ownership and has occurred since i let a garage do the the servicing rather than myself and they have used the wrong oil, now i know i have driven my car hard and that may be the cause but i like to believe it is because the garage put 20W40 oil in as thats what they had available :oops: aside from that My cars always received a Major service every 6 months and aside from oil and filters, one set of wishbones and drop links all round my current Cougar has never missed a beat (y)
Click to expand...

At the risk of going off topic here Paul can you not sue their backsides off?
 
scunnycougar said:
At the risk of going off topic here Paul can you not sue their backsides off?
Click to expand...

To many variables to prove that is the only reason the engine is knackered, if it was low milage then i would have a better chance of proving it but at over 100,000 miles its a hard one to prove. Have sent them a letter stating that it has cost me £75 to get a replacement engine and i still have a labour charge to get it fitted to pay, will see what they say but i expect it will be a BIG F (just realised not in over 18's :LOL:) urmmm NO
 
I think we all understand what your saying Paul :) It baffles me how some so called garages and mechanics can get these basics so wrong.
Back "on topic" though, i think this thread has now completely baffled the op as to which variant to go for.

V6 or zetec.........mmmmm o_O
 
Pid_16V said:
I think we all understand what your saying Paul :) It baffles me how some so called garages and mechanics can get these basics so wrong.
Back "on topic" though, i think this thread has now completely baffled the op as to which variant to go for.

V6 or zetec.........mmmmm o_O
Click to expand...

Thats an easy one to answer Al I am suprised the thread is this long :LOL: without a doubt its down to whether you can afford to run and maintain a V6 compared to a Zetec ( oh and if you can handle all the banter about having 2 cylinders missing :devilish:)
 
I believe the v6 may be winning here.

pref: in black.

It's an 8 mile motorway run.

looks like i'll have to look into it more..

the 2.0l being modded is a nice idea i like, but if the v6 is a better package to start off with, then i think the v6 is ahead by a nose. i have another 2 weeks before i enter the market.
 
What are you expecting the Cougar to be Alucard???

judging by your comment in the first post 'I believe, with the money i'm earning + age + economy of the world = 2.0 model....' the V6 may not be your best bet.

Both V6 and Zetec will cost you pretty much the same in maintenance provided you look after them, only difference is you get a faster car that drinks slightly more fuel and runs alot smoother in standard setup with the V6, If you can afford the extra £20 a month in fuel Go V6 because then atleast you will never have that little voice in the back of your mind saying what if, alternatively you could become a scunny mk2 and and have a different cougar every couple of months :LOL:
 
Procomm said:
What are you expecting the Cougar to be Alucard???

judging by your comment in the first post 'I believe, with the money i'm earning + age + economy of the world = 2.0 model....' the V6 may not be your best bet.

Both V6 and Zetec will cost you pretty much the same in maintenance provided you look after them, only difference is you get a faster car that drinks slightly more fuel and runs alot smoother in standard setup with the V6, If you can afford the extra £20 a month in fuel Go V6 because then atleast you will never have that little voice in the back of your mind saying what if, alternatively you could become a scunny mk2 and and have a different cougar every couple of months :LOL:
Click to expand...

Now that is a line to some extent i agree with, if your unsure, the thought will always be there, although it never applied to me because i knew exactly what i wanted from the off.
 
Pid_16V said:
Now that is a line to some extent i agree with, if your unsure, the thought will always be there, although it never applied to me because i knew exactly what i wanted from the off.
Click to expand...

I agree Al, can also work the other way, what if i had only had a zetec? fortunately I only ever wanted a V6, think Alucard has just decided he wants a Cougar though so that little voice could appear :(

Also think that if some other members had had a Zetec instead of a V6 they would still be owners as they can afford the car then, short journeys are a killer for the V6
 
I had the zetec ... and it was an excellent car, however I had a crazy notion that I needed a V6 .... don`t regret it but in truth there isn`t a lot of difference between them, true ours is an auto and is slower and thirstier than the mannual, but I wouldn`t have bought it if I had been worried about fuel economy, and they are never going to be performance cars without spending a lot of money on them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.