Ford Cougar 2.0 at a local garage.... to buy or not to buy?

[Louisa911]

My boyfriend is looking to sell his Ford Focus 1.6 zetec 02 reg, after having a lot of problems with it in the first few months of ownership- its running perfectly now, but he's just not bonded with it at all.

We had spotted a Ford Cougar at a local garage, its been there a few months now, but its not really a mainstream garage, always just have boggo runarounds there. Its quite a decent place, no bad reputation.

Its an S-reg, 2.0 litre, 61,000 miles, full service history, very clean bodywork apart from some bubbling under one wheel arch. silver in colour, one alloy would need seeing to (looks like a sticker was stuck on it, and its been pulled off and left loads of white stuff on it?). mint interior with original mats etc. Serviced, 12 months MOT put on it.

Went out for a drive in it, runs fine engine wise. No weird knocks etc. Felt like it was pulling slightly to the left, but dealer said the chunky tires on a slight off camber road was causing it? Also it needed a jump start, battery looked a little corroded but I presume he would sort this.

Its up for sale at £1995. Originally owned by a local lady and traded in as PX. Seems quite a good deal to me, we could probably get him down a hundred quid or so.

Is this a good buy? Anything in particular to look out for or warn us about? Whats it like to live with? Even though its way older than his focus, would it feel like a massive downgrade in the long run, rather than upgrade? its much cheaper to buy so would free up some cash which is a plus.

Any info at all would be a massive help. Thanks

[iggletiggle]

the cougar isnt a great car to drive, large and lumpy rather than spirited like the Puma (its little brother)

I would say the pulling to the left would need looking at.. doesnt sound like it would simply be the "off camber road" and i would look at changing the battery. After all if you are buying from the trader any alternator faults etc are covered the mandatory 3months warranty anyways.

Sounds like a fairly good price for a low mileage, serviced and MOT'd vehicle. Worth haggling down a few hundred quid and go for it..

I don't know of any major faults or errors on the car to be honest but im sure some of the other guys will be able to enlighten you

See how you get on.

[t84]

That's a rip off, I'd want a low mileage V6 X-pack for 2 grand.

[iggletiggle]

t84 said:

That's a rip off, I'd want a low mileage V6 X-pack for 2 grand.

for £2k its not a bad buy with mileage and full S/H... especially as you will get it for £1750 realistically.

[anonymous-user]

Agree rip off. Not a great car to drive? Don't agree with that one, same chassis as Mondeo with the ST200 suspension-should handle just fine.

[iggletiggle]

Dave_ST220 said:

Agree rip off. Not a great car to drive? Don't agree with that one, same chassis as Mondeo with the ST200 suspension-should handle just fine.

they are heavy, and wallow through the bends, and with a 2.0 engine they are not at all "quick".. Even in V6 form they arent great cars, but then i've never been a fan of the ST mondeo's either!

I still stand that it is a good price - if you look through AT and PH classifieds it is priced about right for a dealer front, and as i have said you will get it for £1750 after some haggling..

[ExPat2B]

They are not bad cars at all. Its a bit overpriced at 2k but if it is a well presented one with FSH with the Dealer offering a warranty then go for it.

However, I do have caveats.

-At 60k the "big service" is due on these cars. Cambelt and Spark plugs are the expensive ones. Consumables like Dampers and HT leads are also on their way out. Make sure you don't get stuck with a big service bill

-You want to swap one unreliable Ford for another unreliable Ford. Why do you think the older car will be less trouble ? may I suggest something like this :

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2009...

- There is no such thing as " a little bit of rust " you are seeing the tip of the iceberg.

-Don't assume anything with the dealer. Don't trust anything that comes out of his mouth. It all needs to be in writing and done before you hand over the money. The battery probably needs replacing and the pulling to the left could be anything.

[Louisa911]

After two days of trawling round local garages (upto 20 miles away) there were no other real contenders for under £2.5k that weren't dogs, had high mileage or from dodgy gypo setups. On autotrader and PH classifieds, there are no other Cougars with under 100k on the clock within 50 miles of here. Would it be worth travelling or waiting to get the V6? According to the dealer its only slightly better performace wise, (sounds better, agreed) and obviously costs more to insure and run (engine parts less accessible, less MPG etc).

ETA: the cambelt will be changed for us if it hasn't already, he assured us of that.

Edited by Louisa911 on Friday 7th May 14:17

[anonymous-user]

iggletiggle said:

Dave_ST220 said:

Agree rip off. Not a great car to drive? Don't agree with that one, same chassis as Mondeo with the ST200 suspension-should handle just fine.

they are heavy, and wallow through the bends, and with a 2.0 engine they are not at all "quick".. Even in V6 form they arent great cars, but then i've never been a fan of the ST mondeo's either!

I still stand that it is a good price - if you look through AT and PH classifieds it is priced about right for a dealer front, and as i have said you will get it for £1750 after some haggling..

Wallow through bends? bks do they!

[Louisa911]

We also looked at an absolutely mint (looked brand new, superbly valeted) Astra bertone 2.2 coupe at a garage in Pately Bridge nr. Skipton. Low mileage (70k), Part Service History, in that interesting orangey gold metallic colour with black and white half leather alancantra seats. Really, really nice car for the price at £2700. But thats a massive price difference, as my BF is 27 and paying £150 a week to visit me in Bristol, its a lot of money to him. Would it be a better buy though?

Any more info on the Cougar would be great, thanks. It does have a nice big boot, at least. haha.

Edited by Louisa911 on Friday 7th May 14:22

[iggletiggle]

Dave_ST220 said:

iggletiggle said:

Dave_ST220 said:

Agree rip off. Not a great car to drive? Don't agree with that one, same chassis as Mondeo with the ST200 suspension-should handle just fine.

they are heavy, and wallow through the bends, and with a 2.0 engine they are not at all "quick".. Even in V6 form they arent great cars, but then i've never been a fan of the ST mondeo's either!

I still stand that it is a good price - if you look through AT and PH classifieds it is priced about right for a dealer front, and as i have said you will get it for £1750 after some haggling..

Wallow through bends? bks do they!

I have a Dark green 82,500 mile 2000 W Plate 2.0 16v car outside the office here now, and after picking it up from a client 2 weeks ago and driving it back 35 miles through B roads - it is wallowy, it is brisk, but nowhere near quick and doesnt feel at all well put together. I didnt expect a lot and my colleague only bought it as it was a cheap car (£1100) going to trade in at a dealer nearby. I wasnt disappointed as didnt assume it was going to be very good at all, and it really wasnt. Especially compared to my missus 1.7 Puma which is a great drive!

[paoloh]

Louisa911 said:

We also looked at an absolutely mint (looked brand new, superbly valeted) Astra bertone 2.2 coupe at a garage in Pately Bridge nr. Skipton. Low mileage (70k), Part Service History, in that interesting orangey gold metallic colour. Really, really nice car for the price at £2700. But thats a massive price difference, as my BF is 27 and paying £150 a week to visit me in Bristol, its a lot of money to him. Would it be a better buy though?

Any more info on the Cougar would be great, thanks. It does have a nice big boot, at least. haha.

VX 2.2 engine is prone to failure.

What reg is the car?

[ExPat2B]

Louisa911 said:

After two days of trawling round local garages (upto 20 miles away) there were no other real contenders for under £2.5k that weren't dogs, had high mileage or from dodgy gypo setups. On autotrader and PH classifieds, there are no other Cougars with under 100k on the clock within 50 miles of here. Would it be worth travelling or waiting to get the V6? According to the dealer its only slightly better performace wise, (sounds better, agreed) and obviously costs more to insure and run (engine parts less accessible, less MPG etc).

ETA: the cambelt will be changed for us if it hasn't already, he assured us of that.

Edited by Louisa911 on Friday 7th May 14:17

You see the thing is after a great deal of experience in these matters, you cannot make the mistake of taking this chap at his word. Mostly of them will say ANYTHING to sell a car.

You need to look at the cars paperwork. Call the garage that has done the stamps. Check if the Cambelt service has been done. If not who is going to do it ? A lot of these non main dealer garages employ mobile mechanics and some of their work is slipshod to say the least.

[anonymous-user]

iggletiggle said:

Dave_ST220 said:

iggletiggle said:

Dave_ST220 said:

Agree rip off. Not a great car to drive? Don't agree with that one, same chassis as Mondeo with the ST200 suspension-should handle just fine.

they are heavy, and wallow through the bends, and with a 2.0 engine they are not at all "quick".. Even in V6 form they arent great cars, but then i've never been a fan of the ST mondeo's either!

I still stand that it is a good price - if you look through AT and PH classifieds it is priced about right for a dealer front, and as i have said you will get it for £1750 after some haggling..

Wallow through bends? bks do they!

I have a Dark green 82,500 mile 2000 W Plate 2.0 16v car outside the office here now, and after picking it up from a client 2 weeks ago and driving it back 35 miles through B roads - it is wallowy, it is brisk, but nowhere near quick and doesnt feel at all well put together. I didnt expect a lot and my colleague only bought it as it was a cheap car (£1100) going to trade in at a dealer nearby. I wasnt disappointed as didnt assume it was going to be very good at all, and it really wasnt. Especially compared to my missus 1.7 Puma which is a great drive!

Puma halndling no, but the V6 will not wallow in bends let alone a much lighter 2L, maybe the car you have sat outside is fooked?!! It is afterall 10 years old.

OP, i think your BF needs a bullet proof diesel If £££ is of concern then forget the V6, although not that much worse on fuel you will know about it if you start having problems.

[Louisa911]

paoloh said:

Louisa911 said:

We also looked at an absolutely mint (looked brand new, superbly valeted) Astra bertone 2.2 coupe at a garage in Pately Bridge nr. Skipton. Low mileage (70k), Part Service History, in that interesting orangey gold metallic colour. Really, really nice car for the price at £2700. But thats a massive price difference, as my BF is 27 and paying £150 a week to visit me in Bristol, its a lot of money to him. Would it be a better buy though?

Any more info on the Cougar would be great, thanks. It does have a nice big boot, at least. haha.

VX 2.2 engine is prone to failure.

What reg is the car?

Its a 51 reg, sorry forgot to mention.

[Louisa911]

Diesel yes, he does like the Fabia and Octavia VRS, but they are few and far between here. He has it set into his head that he doesn't want to travel far to buy a car, with warranty and not trusting the dealer etc. (The focus was 35 miles away when he bought it, it had endless problems and kept having to be returned.)

Living in a small village has its perks but considering the only two local towns within 40mins are Lancaster and Kendal, its hard to find a decent local vehicle.

Might see how much he gets for the focus, then see how low we can haggle for the cougar until he can afford better. just want a reliable runabout for the time being.

[ExPat2B]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...

2000reg 2.2 Diesel Nissan Almera. 50+mpg alledgedly. 68 miles from Shipton

http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/car-reviews/car-and-drivi...

Rated better than Focus and Astra.


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...

2000reg 130,000 miles Lexus IS200 Sport. 23 miles away.

A lot more miles, but I bet its not rusty and I bet its more reliable. And a manual RWD is always a joy.

[bazking69]

Not my cuppa, but what I would say is that I bet the garage have a massive margin on it. It's hardly a massively in demand car despite nice mileage, so if you were serious I'd start with a cheeky offer and stick close to your guns on expecting a nice discount off the screen price.

[RB26DETT]

Seems fairly dear to me.

My dad bought an 99 v6 x-pack with full service history, all extras. For £1100 off PistonHeads before christmass.