Very fast with good handling considering the price of the car. My father has owned two porcshe 911's, numerous BMW's, numerous Audi's(including an S4) and a 2002 Ford Thunderbird, all of which I have driven. Therefore i have a good point of reference. The other reviews on this site come from people who generally have experience with crappy cars.

Yes, the cupholder isn't that good and there are other minor design flaws. However what the other morons who gave the Cougar bad reviews don't seem to grasp is that ALL cars have problems... beacause they are designed by humans, and we all know humans are inherently flawed. The important thing is to find a car that has more pros than cons, and overall, the Cougar has more pros.

I just bought this car and so far I love it. The fact that many people are not satisfied with the sunroof, cupholder, etc, and are acting like this is such a huge deal is ridiculous to me. I drove a 1999 Volkswagen GTI for three years before getting the Cougar. The cupholder broke, both the passenger windows actually fell into the door, and the sunroof broke. However, I was rear ended by a Mack truck on the highway and all four people in my car werent hurt at all. This is the sort of thing that matters.

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Closest car was a Volkswagen GTI VR6

Speed, acceleration, handling, one of the better cars for under $20K.

Those damn blind spots, the traction control does wierd things on patchy ice (as is usual with most traction control systems), the ford 6-disc in-dash radios SUCK. All of the 6-disc radios have problems reading certain brands of CDR's. The car has no inherant rattles off the dealer lot, but develops them rather quickly.

I bought a brand new 2002 model right when the 03's came out. It's a 5-speed manual, V6, Leather, sunroof, 6-disc in dash. Today was my first warranty repair. I took the car in for a rubbing sound that occurred whenever I drove over a larger speed-bump or one of those famous Michigan potholes. Turns out I had a sway bar loose and a piece of my suspension was mis-aligned / loose. The transmission doesn't like 3rd gear occasionally (manual shift), and the car will stall out if you do a specific combination of tapping the throttle, break, and turning it at once (something you would do whilst driving through a horribly positioned McDonalds drivethrough. Get the extended warranty and take the car in to a dealership that you know does reputable work. Take your car in at the first sign of any rattle or grinding sound, these cars tend to fall apart rather quickly after they begin to rattle. If you're buying new, the car underwent a pretty hefty redesign after the 2000 model year, so your new 2002's / 2003's won't have most of the problems that the 1999 folks were talking about.

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Ford ZX2 (crashed), Ford Mustang.

Handling, easy to manuever, V6 power, Stylish body style, compact, fair gas mileage

overpriced, blind spots, useless cup holder, stalling out or idling irradically.

Love the quick takeoff of the V6--it's fast. European bodystyle is sharp. After 1st year sunroof stop working, fortunately under warrenty. At 53000 miles needed an alternator at a cost of $464.00. The cup holder definitely lacks as drinks spill over. The car has blind spots that I have had to spend more energy and focus to adapt to than I'd like! It drives great and hugs the curves on the road great but chews up front tires more quickly in the process. The cheap plastic clip that should hold the driver floor mat in place snapped off within the first year, therefore I cannot use a floor mat on the driver side because it slides up under the pedals. This does not make me very happy, very poor clip design. At 56000 miles the engine light has come on and does not go off. I have experienced the motor shaking, all the interior lights coming on and losing power(stalling out)several times in the last 3 months. Scary when it happens in the middle of a intersection. I was told by the dealer that once the new alternator was installed, the engine light should go out. 1 month later and $464.00 out of pocket, the light remains on and other problems with stall out is still happening. Dealers answer---come back--pay another $100.00 to be diagnosed and we'll see if we can narrow the problem, it's process of elimination. Right, easy for their pocketbooks to say. This car could be 100% great with alittle focus on problems from the manufacturer. I am seriously thinking of unloading it before any other things occur on a car with 56000 miles. Oh, gas guage not always accurate.

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1989 Toyota Celica 5 speed. Owned for 10 years before purchasing the Cougar. Never once left me on the road like Cougar and had minimal problems only after about 90,000 miles. Extremely dependable!! H

*handles curves very well *tight steering & breaks *very attractive car *good factory speaker system *rear window wiper is handy *heats up quickly

-blind spots!!! I am still getting used to this -center counsol does not have a top to it, it is just kinda open. -no arm rest in the middle -clicker doesn't work if you locked the keys in the car and left it running!

I love this car! It is very cute, especially with the spoiler in the back. The front seats are very comfie, the back seats are a little cramped for space but why complain? If you wanted larger back seats buy a larger car! It is not meant to be a limo. Overall the car is a great pick for the price. Plus it is mostly made in the US!!

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Olds Cutlass Supreme 1990 not really much like the Cougar at all! heh

fast car, nice interior, lots of trunk space, good gas mileage, tight steering, tight brakes-you barely have to touch them, handles really well

cup holder sucks! gas gauge not always accurate, lots of road noise, brake dust, weather striping, blind spots-but you get used to them after awhile, no backseat passenger room, my dog hates the back seats b/c she can't lay down-they're sort of inclined, my trunk button inside doesn't always work but the one on the key chain does

I bought this car brand new in Dec. 99. At 10,000 miles it left me stranded in the Dallas rush hour. Fuel pump went out. Electric gas gauge is not always correct, said I had 46 miles left and it was empty. Has very tight steering and brakes, which I like. Does not make U-turns well. Interior space is better/bigger in this car than int the Mustang but it's not really a passenger car. It stalls a little with quick acceleration but when you get used to driving it you can figure out exactly when to give it the gas and that problem is solved. It peels out if you try to turn to quickly, so don't plan on rushing across any busy intersections. I can pull out of the parking lot at work and get to 60 before the stop sign at the end of the block. Gas mileage 18-20 city, 27-32 highway--not bad. I am still trying to decide if I want to keep this car or trade it in before the warranty runs out. It makes a funny noise when its cold outside that goes away when I accelerate. I wish it had been priced just a little cheaper when I bought it. Not really worth 21k more like 17k. No probs. with tires, brakes, or transmission. Good college car. It could use some improvements but I love driving it.

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90-pontiac sunbird-ran it to its death in 99, bought used 96-pontiac firebird-loved it but crashed it-bought cat after that, still have explorer

Sporty Cheap Comfortable Sleek Smooth Handles well Good curve-hugger

Not-so-good crumple zones ABS not standard in all vehicles Brake dust

I have a 99 cat and I luv it! I bought it from a dealer in Feb. of 02 with 36,000 miles on it. The only problem that I have had from the ever-so-popular cupholder is that it has a tendency to tipover, but it is quite convenient. Brake dust is a horror on mine, too. As far as everything else, especially the "get-up-and-go," my accelerations to 120 mph were rather fun. Mine comes in the rare electric blue color, and there are only 4 that I have seen the same. Overall, it is a great car, I have only had non-superficial probs due to an accident. As a matter of fact, I am looking into getting a 2001 in place of my 99, due to the transmission that was replaced in the accident...:-)

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V6 Mustang

Handling. Gas mileage. Appearance (interior and exterior). Affordability.

A bit sluggish under 2900 rpm.

This car provides a smooth ride. It handles quite nicely. Acceleration is sufficient. However, it seems a bit slow until you reach around 2900 rpm.after that you experience a nice kick. The gas mileage is great. I havehad no problems with the car. The interior is as nice as any. The seats are comfortable and contoured to fit like a glove. The foremost cupholder is designed for smaller cups; placing a larger one in them will cause minor grief. Overall, this is a lot of car for the money. I have had nothing but compliments from everyone that has seen and/or driven it.

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Mitsubishi Eclipse. Ford Mustang. Mitsubishi Mirage.

Performance Cost of parts (thank GOD it is not Jap) efficiency

Trunk release

I'm not sure what people are complaining about (QUIT WHINNING!!!!). Let's face it, not one car is perfect or without flaws. I personally prefer domestic cars and have only owned Fords so far (u think your cougar has problems, try any brand of jap scrap and you'll appreciate the cougar!)I bought mine used, it is fully loaded except for the auto transmission (automatics are for dummies and handicapped people). I have not experienced any such problems, sure the cupholder sucks, so hold the cup! The leather seats are excellent especially combined with lumbar support. I find the car is not bad on gas at all, and I have been driving 4cyl. cars mainly. It is a V6 people so if you do not want to waste money on gas get the 4 cyl. instead. The sunroof has no problems, but it is suffering from the trunk release not working all the time. Performance is great, especially when you blow past a damn japanese car like it was standing still. All in all a great poor man's sport car *****

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Probe GT

- nice exterior - smooth ride - warrenty repairs were taken care of quickly and without incidence

- air bag light flashes occasionally - brakes make loud squeal when backing out of my driveway in the morning - seems to have lost it's bite in the past year

I love my Cougar. I do, even though it has caused me some grief at times. It is a sleek smooth ride, pleasing to the eye with many nice features. I have never had a trouble with the cup holder, although I believe my 2001 model has a different cup holder than earlier models. I also have never had problems with the moonroof or remote. I have, on the other hand, had to replace a tire, which was very costly. Over $300 a tire! I have also had to replace the rear divider three times. I am referring to the plastic piece that divides the trunk from the backseat - it is poorly designed and breaks often. On my first two test drives, both vehicles had broken dividers! I have also had over three thousand dollars worth of warrenty work done, which concerns me since my warrenty is up in 60km. This vehicle is not suitable for a family, I would only recommend it for a single person due to the small interior. Other issues I've seen is the air bag light flashes occasionally which means if I'm in a crash it will not deploy. Occurs about once every three months. Also, the brakes make a loud squeal when backing out of my driveway in the morning. I've had the car since it was new, and it was great when it was new, but now I find that it doen't accelerate as quickly and often shakes, even though the dealer has assured me that nothing is wrong. I have received quality service at the dealership. All mentioned prices are in Canadian funds.

reliability, speed, looks, affordabilty, sleek interior, gorgeous exterior.

small problems with the cup holder, brake dust on the wheels, had to take it in for a recall fix (dont even remember what it was, it wasn't that important.)

I really don't understand why this car is getting such bad reviews. my cougar has been nothing but a blessing, and i've had it for close to a year. i bought it used with only 12,670 miles, and it still feels like im driving a brand new car today. mine is a red v6 automatic with spoiler, sunroof, alloys and graphics. i have had minor problems that probably aren't even worth mentioning...the cup holder (the most popular problem it seems among the cougars) and the brake dust. but those are small prices to pay for such an awesome car. i get compliment after compliment about this car almost everywhere i go. it is fast, reliable, pretty good on gas mileage, and a head turner. i also havent had any probs with the sunroof yet (as other ppl who have posted)...and i use it everyday.

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