Practical classics magazine

The Amazon

Club Member
Jan 3, 2014
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herefordshire
See this month the Ford Probe, KA, and Puma are best buys for 2019, yet once again the Cougar is ignored, it's not even listed on the price guide in spite of every other model pre 2000 is there, along with the general ignorance concerning our model and the total disregard by the motoring press , Ford owners clubs and even Ford itself one can not help feeling a little bit annoyed
 
Well, I understand your annoyance at the slight. I really do.

But who is going to be able to sell advertising space to aftermarket suppliers for a car that kids with respectable discretionary incomes can't even get hold of (much less insure)? And if that advertising revenue isn't there, why would the magazines and websites bother talking about the car in the first place? Nothing in it for them and they've certainly learned that now.

As a parting note, be careful what you wish for. The MK3 (R03) Rover 200 evolved into the MG-ZR. Cars and swap-in parts are cheap and easy to come by, and some percentage of them are being run around by people - idiots - with zero respect, no concept of consequences, and absolutely no intent toward preservation.

If they can't get hold of Cougars, I'm fine with that.
 
Sure one can help it. I bought a car knowing everyone hated it. I really dont expect any help or publicity for it. Id be willing to bet at least half the people who see one of these, people who actually admire cars, say what in the world is that thing? Or something similar.
I'm sure there's even some who actually own one who said the same when they actually ended up buying it.
Think of the 99-02 cougar as basically the Deloreon of ford right there with the Pinto.
No ones going to publish about a car everyone hated.
We really have 2 options if we want a car thats going to make headlines.
1.) We all sell our cars and buy a focus or Fiesta. Guaranteed to make headlines.
Or
2.) We keep doing what we do best and fix these things and suck it up until someone gets noticed.

I actually kind of enjoy the fact that no one knows what my car is and then wants to spend hours talking about it when they finally cant help but ask "what is it?"
 
Exactly. See the Dan's know what's up. :LOL:

The big difference I think between our cars and all those that keep making the list,
I think all those others actually sold relatively well when they were first produced. They didn't have to wait and be rediscovered 20 years later.
 
ugh you really had to ask? for years this was a cougar.
View attachment 12245View attachment 12246View attachment 12247View attachment 12248View attachment 12249View attachment 12250
All were Rear wheel drive. all of them had a V8 or V6 and a couple had a 4 Cyl. every one had the potential to eat mustangs and camaro's and other big named cars that people loved. they were as mean as a mustang but better finished IMO.
So in 1997 they quit making them here. There is no 1998. then in 98 they released the info of the new cougar coming out.
YAYYYY the cougars back!!!!!! wait what??? what do you mean its front wheel drive???? What no V8? What the hell you mean Zetec?? What the hell's a Duratec?? No!!!!! where's my 4.6l mod motor? I could at least put a 302 C.I. in there and add a carburator and make it fast. Ohhh look pictures... 1999-mercury-cougar-frontside_mecou991.jpg

wait WTF is that thing??? thats a cougar??? it looks like a focus and a mitsubishi eclipse got together and had some hated love child together. OH hell no they didn't do that to a cougar. That's not a cougar that's something my Girlfriend would drive. Ugh they made the cougar a chick car.
What $24K??? ok someone's on the crack. I'm just going to buy a focus. or a mustang. or maybe a firebird. thats not enough car for the money.

Basically that's the history of the cougar by American standards. :LOL:

- - - Updated - - -

months or years from now someone somewhere is going to read that and think to themselves "WoW this guy really hates cougars" lol
 
See now that's what I wanted to hear from a real American and not just some journalist, so thank you for that.

I won't spell out what previous gen Cougars were like - everyone can look if they're interested - but purists hate the FF international model that is the MK8. My perception of it is that Americans think it's a car for teenage girls and crappy drug dealers.

And that's wrong.
 
why didn't you just say you wanted me to tell you its a girls car?:LOL:
I agree. although there was a time when I didn't. when they first came out I said the same thing.. ohh thats a girls car. get a mans car. then I drove one and well my signature speaks volumes.
 
My point was there are a lot of Ford's in the guide that did not sell well or get good write ups e.g. the Probe but still it made the guide, if the Cougar slips into obscurity then the chance of getting remanufactured parts like sills is zero and anyone with a stock of parts will just bin them, if some interest is generated by a few spots in magazines then perhaps those thinking of breaking what's left of our cars still on the roads might think twice, after all we all want to see cougars on the road and be able to keep them there, personally I am not looking for some sort of vindication for the Cougar but come on its hardly rubbish and never has been, if the Probe is suddenly viewed through rose tinted glasses then look at our cars the same.
 
I actually kind of enjoy the fact that no one knows what my car is and then wants to spend hours talking about it when they finally cant help but ask "what is it?"

Apart from the fact i wanted a Cougar just because i liked the design/style back then, even though i had absolutely no idea what was under the bonnet, i eventually bought one for ME, just cos i still liked them. Dan's hit the nail in that post (y).
Remember when nobody liked Capris? :oops:, Sod em! just get in and enjoy the ride :cool:
 
My point exactly, the Capri was universally put down by the time it went out of production by motoring journalist and public alike and most went to the scrap heap, now their cool highly desirable and parts are being remanufactured.
 
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Well the problem with the remanfactured cars is a few things.
The bad rep from it isnt really a cougar is part of it. To you guys it is and always has been.
However ford is an american company and has had a cougar since the 60s. Ford screwing up the image put a bad taste in ALOT of peoples mouth.
Another part is the fact that people don't do enough to the cars. I know big body kits and wings and LEDs and all the stuff viewed as rice isnt alot of peoples thing which that's fine. However, if all we do is fix them to what ford has already decided was a disaster then they're not going to do anything for parts.
Fixing a car back to what it looked like when it rolled off the showroom floor is great. Although if you spend 2 years and thousands of dollars putting it to that condition its still worth market value which is about £ 1000 if its super nice and now all those people who already thought it was a flop still thing its a flop its just shiny now.

There isn't enough call from the public for the car or parts for it. Theres a few billion people in the world us few hundred isn't going to make a difference with what we do.
 
Over the years I've been lucky enough to own a few classics including:
E type Jaguar and Jaguar Mk 2 3.8 Sunbeam Tiger 4.2V8 Rover 3500S V8 Daimler SuperV8 BMW 540i Toyota MR2 Turbo Honda CRX Delsol
Ford Sierra 1.6 Jaguar 3.0V6 Stype dAI
Of course, all very different and special in their own way...
And I can honestly say I like driving my Cougar as much as any of them....View attachment 12252pic speaks for itself
 
This club I fear will die a slow death, owners getting older, no new blood coming on board, fewer and fewer cars on the road and valuable parts going in the bin, a little positive exposure would help I feel.
 
It might. All good things eventually end right?
As far as Im concerned unless I die y'all are going to have to kick me out. Death or the club shutting down is about what its going to take. And my kids love the cars so 4 possible members to come
 
Over the years I've been lucky enough to own a few classics including:
E type Jaguar and Jaguar Mk 2 3.8 Sunbeam Tiger 4.2V8 Rover 3500S V8 Daimler SuperV8 BMW 540i Toyota MR2 Turbo Honda CRX Delsol
Ford Sierra 1.6 Jaguar 3.0V6 Stype dAI
Of course, all very different and special in their own way...
And I can honestly say I like driving my Cougar as much as any of them....View attachment 12252pic speaks for itself

What was the Sunbeam Tiger like Wil? Always lusted after one of those