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skater · 05-13-2008, 08:54 PM

Well, they are known for chewing up alternators. Take a look in the common problems FAQ at the top of this forum. For the '99s, the alternators, sunroofs, and if you have a car built after early May '99, the fuel pump, if the recall hasn't been completed on it (check the door for the build date).

The biggest headache you may encounter is that every time something does go wrong, you may have to listen to your father going, "SEE!!! FORD IS TEH SUCK!!!111!!!" Or something to that effect. And that gets old very quickly, even if it's the kinds of things that go wrong on any 9 or 10 year old car. (I had a coworker like that, except he was a firm believer in Honda and Toyota.) So you may want to factor that into the decision.

That said, I love driving my Cougar and wouldn't trade it for anything. I'll admit they probably aren't the most reliable cars out there, but there are plenty of vehicles that are a lot worse, too.

P.S. Re-reading what I just posted, it sounds overly negative. Keep in mind the car is 9 or 10 years old at this point, so you're going to have things wearing out - it's the nature of an older car, no matter who makes it. If it was well taken care of, you'll be in better shape, of course.

05-13-2008, 08:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
skater Capital Curmudgeon Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Bowie, MD Posts: 6,475 Blog Entries: 1	Re: Mercury Cougar + Problems? Well, they are known for chewing up alternators. Take a look in the common problems FAQ at the top of this forum. For the '99s, the alternators, sunroofs, and if you have a car built after early May '99, the fuel pump, if the recall hasn't been completed on it (check the door for the build date). The biggest headache you may encounter is that every time something does go wrong, you may have to listen to your father going, "SEE!!! FORD IS TEH SUCK!!!111!!!" Or something to that effect. And that gets old very quickly, even if it's the kinds of things that go wrong on any 9 or 10 year old car. (I had a coworker like that, except he was a firm believer in Honda and Toyota.) So you may want to factor that into the decision. That said, I love driving my Cougar and wouldn't trade it for anything. I'll admit they probably aren't the most reliable cars out there, but there are plenty of vehicles that are a lot worse, too. P.S. Re-reading what I just posted, it sounds overly negative. Keep in mind the car is 9 or 10 years old at this point, so you're going to have things wearing out - it's the nature of an older car, no matter who makes it. If it was well taken care of, you'll be in better shape, of course. __________________ 1999 Cougar, Laser Red, 2.5L V6, MTX / 2004 Impala, Superior Blue, 3.4L V6, ATX / 1991 Airstream B190 7.5L V8 Last edited by skater; 05-13-2008 at 08:59 PM.