Ford Cougar - Worth £1300?
Discussion
I posted here not long ago, weighing up my options on a £1500 car.
I have been offered a Cougar. It has 120k plus miles on it, but it has been perceivably looked after, new wind screen, new alternator, AC re-gassed, oil changed, new tyres not long ago, quite clean condition, has had all the rust taken care of and treated, is the X-Pack, brake discs recently replaced.
My question is, are they even worth £1300? or do you think that money can be better spent on another coupe?
I look to eBay and these Cougars don't seem to go for a lot of money, usually less than 1k.
I have been offered a Cougar. It has 120k plus miles on it, but it has been perceivably looked after, new wind screen, new alternator, AC re-gassed, oil changed, new tyres not long ago, quite clean condition, has had all the rust taken care of and treated, is the X-Pack, brake discs recently replaced.
My question is, are they even worth £1300? or do you think that money can be better spent on another coupe?
I look to eBay and these Cougars don't seem to go for a lot of money, usually less than 1k.
£300 extra to buy a car you know has had work done vs something from eBay that's being punted on because it's broken seems like it could be money well spent. The shed market is bonkers at the moment, £1300 gets you something that would have been weighed in for scrap 2 years ago.
The V6 is a great engine but it won't be fast by any modern standard and it'll get mid to high 20s MPG. Loads of them have a non functioning intake manifold runner control system that means they are down on power at the top or bottom end of the rev range, because the motor unit is fitted to one of the cam covers and gets roasted.
If it's a 2 litre(or auto) don't waste your money.
The V6 is a great engine but it won't be fast by any modern standard and it'll get mid to high 20s MPG. Loads of them have a non functioning intake manifold runner control system that means they are down on power at the top or bottom end of the rev range, because the motor unit is fitted to one of the cam covers and gets roasted.
If it's a 2 litre(or auto) don't waste your money.
stickleback123 said:
£300 extra to buy a car you know has had work done vs something from eBay that's being punted on because it's broken seems like it could be money well spent. The shed market is bonkers at the moment, £1300 gets you something that would have been weighed in for scrap 2 years ago.
The V6 is a great engine but it won't be fast by any modern standard and it'll get mid to high 20s MPG. Loads of them have a non functioning intake manifold runner control system that means they are down on power at the top or bottom end of the rev range, because the motor unit is fitted to one of the cam covers and gets roasted.
If it's a 2 litre(or auto) don't waste your money.
You think it's worth it then? The short test ride I had showed 14mpg on the dash, is that typical? then again I am not sure how long the trip was or even how accurate that was.The V6 is a great engine but it won't be fast by any modern standard and it'll get mid to high 20s MPG. Loads of them have a non functioning intake manifold runner control system that means they are down on power at the top or bottom end of the rev range, because the motor unit is fitted to one of the cam covers and gets roasted.
If it's a 2 litre(or auto) don't waste your money.
Yes, it is a manual V6
Only you can decide if its worth £1300.
As always, buy on condition. With a car of this age and mileage, a thorough inspection and test drive will reveal more than paperwork.
Its still not a lot of money IMO, my quick look on eBay shows little to choose from, one at £3k and one a £2k and one at £1.5k.
As always, buy on condition. With a car of this age and mileage, a thorough inspection and test drive will reveal more than paperwork.
Its still not a lot of money IMO, my quick look on eBay shows little to choose from, one at £3k and one a £2k and one at £1.5k.
My general expectation of coupes of this age and value would be that they're rusty, have some kind of mechanical issues, and/or need suspension arms/bushes changing.
If the car in question is truly none of the above, then IMHO yes it's definitely worth £1300.
In general I reckon it's worth spending a bit more on a car that's in good condition, an extra repair or two can easily eat up £300+, not to mention the hassle. Just make sure it really is in good condition!
Joey Deacon said:
As an owner of one about 12 years ago I would say they are rubbish, go and buy something else instead. As has been said, the fuel economy on the 24V is terrible, use some of the money you would spend on fuel to buy something else.
Think you may have a point about the fuel eco. What is a better alternative? samoht said:
My general expectation of coupes of this age and value would be that they're rusty, have some kind of mechanical issues, and/or need suspension arms/bushes changing.
If the car in question is truly none of the above, then IMHO yes it's definitely worth £1300.
In general I reckon it's worth spending a bit more on a car that's in good condition, an extra repair or two can easily eat up £300+, not to mention the hassle. Just make sure it really is in good condition!
Yeah great points. The condition was good but his MPG concerned me and made me wonder if it was related to the high mileage of the engine. If the car in question is truly none of the above, then IMHO yes it's definitely worth £1300.
In general I reckon it's worth spending a bit more on a car that's in good condition, an extra repair or two can easily eat up £300+, not to mention the hassle. Just make sure it really is in good condition!
georgeyboy12345 said:
With regards to the mpg, you probably didn't drive it for long enough to get warm, hence the poor value. On a proper journey, it'll probably get around 20 mpg.
Why are you so obsessed with buying a Cougar anyway? There are better cars for the money
I like the styling of the early 00s coupes. I quite like the sound and torque of the V6s. I am open to similar cars. Any suggestions? Why are you so obsessed with buying a Cougar anyway? There are better cars for the money
Spend a bit more and get a BMW E90. I knew I made a massive mistake buying a Ford Cougar when I was driving it the next day, saw a BMW E39 5 series and realised I could have got one of those for similar money (around 2008)
My next shed a year later was a BMW E46 318 and I am not exaggerating when I say it was a million times better than the Cougar in every single possible way.
My next shed a year later was a BMW E46 318 and I am not exaggerating when I say it was a million times better than the Cougar in every single possible way.
Joey Deacon said:
Spend a bit more and get a BMW E90. I knew I made a massive mistake buying a Ford Cougar when I was driving it the next day, saw a BMW E39 5 series and realised I could have got one of those for similar money (around 2008)
My next shed a year later was a BMW E46 318 and I am not exaggerating when I say it was a million times better than the Cougar in every single possible way.
I will take you advice and look up the E90s - can you see any decent ones in the North East region? My next shed a year later was a BMW E46 318 and I am not exaggerating when I say it was a million times better than the Cougar in every single possible way.
Hunts887 said:
Joey Deacon said:
Spend a bit more and get a BMW E90. I knew I made a massive mistake buying a Ford Cougar when I was driving it the next day, saw a BMW E39 5 series and realised I could have got one of those for similar money (around 2008)
My next shed a year later was a BMW E46 318 and I am not exaggerating when I say it was a million times better than the Cougar in every single possible way.
I will take you advice and look up the E90s - can you see any decent ones in the North East region? My next shed a year later was a BMW E46 318 and I am not exaggerating when I say it was a million times better than the Cougar in every single possible way.
Hunts887 said:
I like the styling of the early 00s coupes. I quite like the sound and torque of the V6s. I am open to similar cars. Any suggestions?
The 406 coupes are very nice, if you can find a decent one - or indeed find one at all.They're excellent in 3.0 V6 form and extremely practical in 2.2 hdi.
They have the added bonus of being virtually worthless.
I have one.
cologne2792 said:
The 406 coupes are very nice, if you can find a decent one - or indeed find one at all.
They're excellent in 3.0 V6 form and extremely practical in 2.2 hdi.
They have the added bonus of being virtually worthless.
I have one.
Always fancied a 406 coupe. In V6 form.They're excellent in 3.0 V6 form and extremely practical in 2.2 hdi.
They have the added bonus of being virtually worthless.
I have one.
Beautiful looking cars, swift enough.
I'm coming in to defend the honour of the Cougar 
Some bashing of Cougar here, yet I wonder how many have driven one!
I can speak from experience because I bought one this year. They're stupidly cheap for what you get.
They're not remembered kindly : even after the Probe, Ford V6's were compared with the Capri. Most for sale are sub £1000, but can catch you out with rusty sills, rotten rear subframe, front lower arms, mids 20' mpg from the V6. It's a 20 year old car, there will be some key things to check!
I've led with the negatives, but if you want something unusual that can be used everyday, has an old-school V6 you can rely on, can take 2 kids in the back, has a huge boot for the era, and is a Ford that doesn't seem to rot the arches, I reckon it's a lot of car. For turn-of-millennium it has electric mirrors and windows, A/C, trip computer, remote tailgate release. Do you really need anything more?
If the sills, subframe and front arms are good and you can tinker with the foibles of a 20YO car, it makes sense.
Some bashing of Cougar here, yet I wonder how many have driven one!I can speak from experience because I bought one this year. They're stupidly cheap for what you get.
They're not remembered kindly : even after the Probe, Ford V6's were compared with the Capri. Most for sale are sub £1000, but can catch you out with rusty sills, rotten rear subframe, front lower arms, mids 20' mpg from the V6. It's a 20 year old car, there will be some key things to check!
I've led with the negatives, but if you want something unusual that can be used everyday, has an old-school V6 you can rely on, can take 2 kids in the back, has a huge boot for the era, and is a Ford that doesn't seem to rot the arches, I reckon it's a lot of car. For turn-of-millennium it has electric mirrors and windows, A/C, trip computer, remote tailgate release. Do you really need anything more?
If the sills, subframe and front arms are good and you can tinker with the foibles of a 20YO car, it makes sense.
Edited by DWDarkWheels on Sunday 5th December 20:22
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