My 1999 Ford Cougar
Discussion
Picked this up on friday and it Cost me nothing 
I did a straight swap with a guy on here for my mk6 Ford Escort
It's a 1999 C1 Ford Cougar, 2L Zetec in Silver (ish!)
Has 89K On the clock and the bodywork is shocking
No leather seats or xPack unfrotunately but im still happy with it!
But.. I love it.
For some odd reason i keep getting Fords, there's something about them, ive always wanted a Cougar since my dad got one 5 years ago, he got the 2.5 V6 with xPack - He still has it to this day and has put many miles on it, i loved go'ing in it as a kid and i loved driving it on the odd occasion after i passed, there's something about Cougars i love, i have no dea why either!
I saw this on the Classfields and saw he would take something in P/X.. I figured what the hell and emailed him, he was happy to swap for my Escort (In my opinion they were roughly worth the same)
I decided that if i ring my insurance the next day and they quote me anything under £170 ish a Month i'll pay it as i did really want it, To my suprise they only want £128 a month to insure it, The same as my little 1.6 Escort on a 2L Cougar
Two days later, a 150 Mile trip down to Plymouth to hand over the keys to my Escort and pick up the Cougar, Taxed the cougar and drove it back, that was by far one of the most Awesome 150 miles i've driven yet! Me and a mate on a nice sunny day, windows down flying along in a car ive wanted for 4/5 Years
Averaged 35MPG also! Which i consider good as i wasnt driving overly frugaly I even had a 10-15 Mile blast with a Blue Focus ST down the A303 He won!
Definately wont be the last Cougar i own either, Once insurance/income alloys i'll own a V6 One
The car is no minter, it needs work.
-Bodywork is shagged, i have a new bumper lined up when i get paid end of the month and may attempt rear quarts myself.
-Interior is messy/loose - Needs a giant clean
-Alloys are curbed and the front right is buckled i think as wheel wobble at 70 and there's a chunk missing
-Needs new ARB bushes
-All brake discs will need replacing before MOT in november.
But as with any other Ford ive owned, ill be working on it myself, i enjoy it most of the time
Plans for now are:
-Full Clean inside/Out - See if i can salvage some paint with a good tcut etc.
-Silver front bumper to replace the black one
-Fit my stereo as the standard ford CD player only works when it wants to
-Enjoy it
Few more pictures to kick the thread off I will update with anything i do, hoping to clean it as soon as weather permits.
Checking it over when i was there:
Taking a tacical piss on the way home:
Same layby, different angle:
I did a straight swap with a guy on here for my mk6 Ford EscortIt's a 1999 C1 Ford Cougar, 2L Zetec in Silver (ish!)
Has 89K On the clock and the bodywork is shocking
No leather seats or xPack unfrotunately but im still happy with it!But.. I love it.
For some odd reason i keep getting Fords, there's something about them, ive always wanted a Cougar since my dad got one 5 years ago, he got the 2.5 V6 with xPack - He still has it to this day and has put many miles on it, i loved go'ing in it as a kid and i loved driving it on the odd occasion after i passed, there's something about Cougars i love, i have no dea why either!
I saw this on the Classfields and saw he would take something in P/X.. I figured what the hell and emailed him, he was happy to swap for my Escort (In my opinion they were roughly worth the same)
I decided that if i ring my insurance the next day and they quote me anything under £170 ish a Month i'll pay it as i did really want it, To my suprise they only want £128 a month to insure it, The same as my little 1.6 Escort on a 2L Cougar
Two days later, a 150 Mile trip down to Plymouth to hand over the keys to my Escort and pick up the Cougar, Taxed the cougar and drove it back, that was by far one of the most Awesome 150 miles i've driven yet! Me and a mate on a nice sunny day, windows down flying along in a car ive wanted for 4/5 Years
Averaged 35MPG also! Which i consider good as i wasnt driving overly frugaly
I even had a 10-15 Mile blast with a Blue Focus ST down the A303 He won!Definately wont be the last Cougar i own either, Once insurance/income alloys i'll own a V6 One
The car is no minter, it needs work.
-Bodywork is shagged, i have a new bumper lined up when i get paid end of the month and may attempt rear quarts myself.
-Interior is messy/loose - Needs a giant clean
-Alloys are curbed and the front right is buckled i think as wheel wobble at 70 and there's a chunk missing
-Needs new ARB bushes
-All brake discs will need replacing before MOT in november.
But as with any other Ford ive owned, ill be working on it myself, i enjoy it most of the time
Plans for now are:
-Full Clean inside/Out - See if i can salvage some paint with a good tcut etc.
-Silver front bumper to replace the black one
-Fit my stereo as the standard ford CD player only works when it wants to
-Enjoy it
Few more pictures to kick the thread off
I will update with anything i do, hoping to clean it as soon as weather permits.Checking it over when i was there:
Taking a tacical piss on the way home:
Same layby, different angle:
ALfooy said:
Nice.
I'm the same, always had something for Fords for some reason, i think its a mixture of my dad's mate always owning them (i always remember his sunburst orange mk3 XR3i)
and the history of the company (regular and motorsport).
I've infact just got my first Ford, just a cheap mk4 Fiesta Ghia X which i plan to keep until me and my girlfriend go to New Zealand in the summer and when i get back, while i'll be looking at everything from MX-5s to ovloV, top of my list are mk5 Zetec-s' and Pumas
BTW if you can, keep us posted of the MPG because i'd be tempted by a Cougar myself
I've put 200-250 ish miles on it so far (150 were the drive back) And its averaged 32-35. I beleive about the same as my 1.6 Zetec Escort, i find i dont put my foot down anywhere near as much in the Cougar I'm the same, always had something for Fords for some reason, i think its a mixture of my dad's mate always owning them (i always remember his sunburst orange mk3 XR3i)
and the history of the company (regular and motorsport).I've infact just got my first Ford, just a cheap mk4 Fiesta Ghia X which i plan to keep until me and my girlfriend go to New Zealand in the summer and when i get back, while i'll be looking at everything from MX-5s to ovloV, top of my list are mk5 Zetec-s' and Pumas
BTW if you can, keep us posted of the MPG because i'd be tempted by a Cougar myself
It isn't bad on fuel.My dad averages OVER 35MPG in his V6 one! He is old now though
ALfooy said:
thats actally pretty good, i think Pumas only get around 38 mpg (according to Parkers) so think i may well look into something with a lil more meat under the bonnet.
Hows it drive, barge-like or lighter on its feet than you thought?
Definately lighter than i thought, handles rather well also, hooning back with the Focus ST i kept up around the corners but he was faster on the straight Hows it drive, barge-like or lighter on its feet than you thought?
smugglersvin said:
Great cars I have had two 2.5 manuals in the past both with Xpack, I was so sorry to see my last one go as it took me 6 months to find and was mint with 48,000 on the clock. but I lost my job and couldn't afford a car.
The great thing I find with the cougar is you dont get the rust bug like on the puma, plus the toys you get in the car are fantastic. I find if you drive it just using the engine torque you can get well over 30 to the gallon even on the 2.5.
I sold mine for £1100 about a year ago and still regret it.
I love the way they drive The great thing I find with the cougar is you dont get the rust bug like on the puma, plus the toys you get in the car are fantastic. I find if you drive it just using the engine torque you can get well over 30 to the gallon even on the 2.5.
I sold mine for £1100 about a year ago and still regret it.
My dad has the 2.5 V6 Manual with Xpack, he gets 35-37 MPG on a long run and around 30 going to work and back and around town, very good for a V6 He gets the same mileage i do in my 2L Zetec But im young and have a leadfoot! GTiFrank said:
off I go to parkers. Have you driven a mondeo of same era? I heard they share a platform as puma did with fiesta.ALfooy said:
Sweet, bet he wasen't best pleased with that
I like the underdogness of them tbh, the unique looks and the prices you can pick them up for.
future classic maybe?
I hope so, i love them, although a lot of people find them really ugly I like the underdogness of them tbh, the unique looks and the prices you can pick them up for.
future classic maybe?
Its a love/hate carAnd yeah they're dirt cheap to buy, great value for money, and it's a Ford so it wont ever let you down reliability, dont get me wrong, it'll break on a daily basis but will never die
smugglersvin said:
They share the same underpinnings but do have model specific wishbone arms which are very expensive as they can only be bought from Ford.
As the Puma? Or Mondeo?And i beleive you can get aftermarket wishbone arms as there was a group buy on the forum a while ago and there's a few around, or so i beleive. Could be wrong
Spitfire2 said:
If your dad is getting 37 mpg are you sure the little motor which opens the secondaries at 3100 rpm is working.
Only time I got near 30mpg with mine was when that thing had jammed closed. 24mpg was my usual.
He gets 37-38 ish on a run of half an hour or more usually, he's at that stage in life where he just potters along though, and his car is regularley serviced and really well cared for Only time I got near 30mpg with mine was when that thing had jammed closed. 24mpg was my usual.
Im still impressed by the MPG from it being a V6.I'm sure i could get mine to touch 40MPG on a long run if i drove properly, I have too much fun booting it off roundabouts up to 60
Although i rarely drop below 30 unless im really giving it hell, I really like the little 2L Zetec engine, its brilliant 
designforlife said:
bargetastic... I had a 2.0l silver cougar for a cpl yrs before my current mx5.
It had 110k on the clock but never missed a beat, and i've never driven any 2 door car with such an epic boot space.
It was slow and had the hardest ride ever but visually I think it was a car ahead of its time...
The boot space is madness, seriously huge. Although the back seats are stupid.It had 110k on the clock but never missed a beat, and i've never driven any 2 door car with such an epic boot space.
It was slow and had the hardest ride ever but visually I think it was a car ahead of its time...
Still loving driving it
BorkFactor said:
I have just sold a mk2 Mondeo ST24 - same engine as your Dad's and same platform as the Cougar. Was a properly brilliant car - handled so well and made a great noise!
My one did 42 mpg at a steady 65 (brim to brim, no trip computer) but dropped below 20 on occasion when I took it for a proper blast
108k miles and 14 years old and all that was wrong was a bit of rust and the IMRC (inlet manifold runner control - opens up the secondaries over 3500 rpm) was a bit temperamental. Very reasonable insurance too - I was £800 a year at 19
Enjoy your car - I prefer the Mondeo (because I am boring ) but I really like the Cougar too.
I did condier an ST Mondeo! I like them, But the Cougar appealed so much more My one did 42 mpg at a steady 65 (brim to brim, no trip computer) but dropped below 20 on occasion when I took it for a proper blast
108k miles and 14 years old and all that was wrong was a bit of rust and the IMRC (inlet manifold runner control - opens up the secondaries over 3500 rpm) was a bit temperamental. Very reasonable insurance too - I was £800 a year at 19
Enjoy your car - I prefer the Mondeo (because I am boring
) but I really like the Cougar too. Ive done about 400 miles in a week and a half so far and im loving it
Serin said:
That looks a hundred times better! The car was looking the image of bangerdom, but now its gained back a fair bit of class XD
If the dents on the side panels are quite shallow and haven't creased the metal work, try some dry ice on a warm day to pop them back out (keep in mind, I hold no responsibility if you damage anything though!! but seriously, look on youtube, theres loads of videos on how to, and it'll cost you about a tenner!)
I'm not fussed about the bodywork for now, it drives fine If the dents on the side panels are quite shallow and haven't creased the metal work, try some dry ice on a warm day to pop them back out (keep in mind, I hold no responsibility if you damage anything though!! but seriously, look on youtube, theres loads of videos on how to, and it'll cost you about a tenner!)
I may give it a crack in the summer if i find time Going to try and give the car a hell of a wash/wax/polish etc tommorow and see what of the paint is salvageable
Anything not i will attempt to spray myself in the summer.
Also need a set of new alloys/tyres. all tyres are bald and all alloys are kerbed to hell, i dont even want to put new tyres on the s
tty condition alloys so im looking for a set to replace them
And going to service it in the next few months, aswel as hopefully new dics/pads all around if i can afford it.
Anything not i will attempt to spray myself in the summer.
Also need a set of new alloys/tyres. all tyres are bald and all alloys are kerbed to hell, i dont even want to put new tyres on the s
tty condition alloys so im looking for a set to replace them And going to service it in the next few months, aswel as hopefully new dics/pads all around if i can afford it.
Cleaned, T-cutted and Waxed today Most of the paint come up okay, Especially the tatty bumper.
Clean cat
The bumper before:
after:
Also! Pink wheels yo! Yes im aware they look awful! :L
However i paid £130 for them and all the tyres are brand new, way cheaper than replacing all four tyres on my other wheels
I'm going to repaint them, thinking anthracite/Gun metal grey. Dont really want to go Black.
Most of the paint come up okay, Especially the tatty bumper.Clean cat
The bumper before:
after:
Also! Pink wheels yo! Yes im aware they look awful! :L
However i paid £130 for them and all the tyres are brand new, way cheaper than replacing all four tyres on my other wheels
I'm going to repaint them, thinking anthracite/Gun metal grey. Dont really want to go Black.
Well pistonheads im hoping you'll be proud of me, Picked up a set of original cougar alloys in good condition today, brand new tyres all around also
Also after a few decent t-cuts, Polish and damn good cleans the paint is a lot better, whoever had it before me definatley treated it like st in regards to keeping it clean!
Next on the list is a full service, im slowly grabbing the bits and will do it next week as im not at College
Just over a month ago i picked the car up like this:
Black bumper, faded tired bodywork and all curbed alloys with bald tyres.
It now sits like this:
Paint mostly restored, Wheels and tyres sorted, few other niggles sorted also
Im still loving driving it and hoping to stick with it
Also after a few decent t-cuts, Polish and damn good cleans the paint is a lot better, whoever had it before me definatley treated it like s
t in regards to keeping it clean!Next on the list is a full service, im slowly grabbing the bits and will do it next week as im not at College
Just over a month ago i picked the car up like this:
Black bumper, faded tired bodywork and all curbed alloys with bald tyres.
It now sits like this:
Paint mostly restored, Wheels and tyres sorted, few other niggles sorted also
Im still loving driving it and hoping to stick with it
BorkFactor said:
That looks so much better now!
If you are having trouble with the paint, have you tried taking a clay bar to it?
All the paint that could be saved is not saved by multiple decent polishes and an all over t-cut If you are having trouble with the paint, have you tried taking a clay bar to it?
However one rear quart has a scrape and a few little dents, and the other side rear quart has like no laquer, it sucks.
I will probably have a go at spraying them myself to sort em soon
Little bit of an update
CV Joint went last week, so that was replaced - Only issue ive had so far
Fully Serviced it last week also.
Also, new number plates arrived, I wanted to get rid of that Black plastic mounting plate thingy that holds the plate on, i dont really like it.
Took some pictures today as i gave the cat a good Bath/Polish - Autoglym super resin polish is amazing!
Before: (With black plastic mounting thingy!)
After: (Without)
Also, Why is it cars look awesome with no front plate
Clean and shiny
CV Joint went last week, so that was replaced - Only issue ive had so far
Fully Serviced it last week also.
Also, new number plates arrived, I wanted to get rid of that Black plastic mounting plate thingy that holds the plate on, i dont really like it.
Took some pictures today as i gave the cat a good Bath/Polish - Autoglym super resin polish is amazing!
Before: (With black plastic mounting thingy!)
After: (Without)
Also, Why is it cars look awesome with no front plate
Clean and shiny
BorkFactor said:
Looks fantastic!
If you really want to keep it looking good I suggest looking into some AutoGlym HD Wax (Amazon is the cheapest place to buy it) and maybe some Extra Gloss Protection.
My ST24 had the same paint as your Cougar and the paint turned out really well after a good going over
Am glad you are still enjoying it! Does it have the leather interior?
Cheers If you really want to keep it looking good I suggest looking into some AutoGlym HD Wax (Amazon is the cheapest place to buy it) and maybe some Extra Gloss Protection.
My ST24 had the same paint as your Cougar and the paint turned out really well after a good going over
Am glad you are still enjoying it! Does it have the leather interior?
And no leather interior, It doesnt have the xpack. However my dads does and i dont really like the leather, i preffer the cloth to be honest
And i dont really miss the traction control/6 CD Changer so i dont mind it
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