Very attactive car... As my boyfriend likes to say "Hot car for a hot girl". I do believe that the car has rather feminine lines, however-- sorry to all those guys out there who drive them and may disagree, but a male cougar-owner friend of mine also feels the same way as I. This car does have many great attributes that should not be allowed to be diminished by negative traits. Everything has something negative associated with it- gotta take the good with the bad, afterall. The seats, in my opinion, are very comfortable all around, and I have no qualms about the backseats-- I dont have to sit there!

COMPLETELY underpowered with the I-4 and still a little weak with the V-6... I'd like to see about 45 more horsepower sitting ontop of a car that weighs as much as the Cougar. The suspension is mushy, and since i like to take corners, I am going to have to put quite a bit of money into improving that. Automatic transmission has a noticable delay in respose to acceleration and hesitates to downshift. This was inproved by a software change, but is still not where I would like it. The automatic shift handle also feels kind of cheap and the leather collar around it is sooo hard to get clean. The tan leather interior shows any blemished very easily, especially minor surface scratches that would be masked by a darker tan.

Let me start off by saying that I LOVE my car, despite some problems. I got car almost brand new completely loaded for $7000 off what sticker should have been, and was thrilled. Almost everything wrong with the car has been quickly repaired under warranty. Several people have posted reviews baffled about the cause of a relatively major problem with the car. When the gas is lower than 1/2 or 1/4 tank, the car refuses to shift well or stalls out. I had this problem, and it was due to a warped fuel tank. Several Cougar/Contours have had this problem. Email me if you want any more info about this. My car also has a noticeable vibration in the drive mechanisms at high speeds when there is little weight in the car. I only weight 110 pounds and keep very little in the car with me, but whenever I bring it to the dealership and the 200+ pound tech comes with me, its very hard to notice. Has anyone else had this problem, and if you have, HELP! The cup holder works perfectly fine if you use the right shaped cup- STOP BEING SO PETTY PEOPLE!!! The car is a little slow for my taste, and also rather heavy. I am an auto sport enthusiast who’s parents simply would not permit me to get a car with any significant horsepower because they are aware of my tendency to like to drive fast, and since I was only 17 when I bought my baby, it had to be in their name. Stock Ford brakes are notoriously dusty, so I simply changed them to a different brand once the time came for new ones — I wash my car more frequently than the average person, and like to keep my rims extra shiny. I have NEVER had any condensation buildup in my headlights, and this is after having to have the whole back portion of one replaced due to a minor collision that occur with my front end. All in all, this IS a well-made car, and although people knock Fords, EVERY manufacturer has problems somewhere, regardless of what the dealers profess and the buyers believe. Unfortunately for the average person who cannot afford a $50,000 car which will have less problems of this sort, we, the average person, will just have to sit back and deal with what we can afford. Nicer cars such as the Cougar are made more affordable because of necessary price cuts made somewhere along the assembly line. All in all, you get what you pay for, and YES--- these cars are much better than the economy cars that are much more inexpensive. A woman driving a Hyundai Elantra and I backed into each other in a parking lot—more her fault than mine, and I drove away with a ¼ inch scratch on my car with no dents where she barely drove away with major body damage. I know this makes me sound like a guilty party, but I wasn’t even on the gas—in fact, I was simply rolling backwards with my foot on the brake, which is the truly scary part. Imagine what would have happened to that car if it were hit at any considerable speed. My car has almost 35,000 miles on it and i have not had a single leak or problem with the windows or sunroof. Unfortunately, leaks and other window problems do occur with frameless windows and they are to be expected. If you are unable to deal with this fact, don't buy a car that has frameless glass, its as simple as that. The gas milage I have encountered is not nearly as good as some other people have professed, but I do like to DRIVE my car, not just putt along on the road. On longer road trips (500 miles+) my car has been almost a God-sent. I would much rather spend the time sitting in my car, although i feel like the suspension is rather mushy for normal driving, than what my other option would have been- a Mustang. I have sat 4 people in my car without a problem. I am also only 5'5" with fairly short legs so fitting a 6' tall male behind me was easier than most people would encounter. All in all, i have had two 6' male passengers and a 5'4 female passenger in my car with no complaints. I LOVE MY BABY--- any comments or questions, email me.

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2000 Ford Contour (it has the SAME chassis and engine and almost everything else), 1998 Mustang, 1994 Mustang Cobra (by far the most fun but not good for a daily driver at all), VW Passat

One of the best looking cars I have ever seen, let alone owned. Arguably the best looking interior in the XR of any car under 50K. Everyone thinks it is a far more expensive car. Hassle and issue free to this point. Picks up a lot of women. Awesome on Minnesota roads in winter, slips less than most SUVs. Attractive gauges and illumination. Built in the USA, not Mexico or Canada. Rather uncommon car, which is both a strength and a weakness for different reasons.

Backseat is just useless. This may as well be a roadster when you are 6'5" and have to have the seat all the way back and tilted. A little slow at times, car looks faster than it is. Wide turning radius for a compact car--can be tough to park. City gas mileage is awful. Tough to see out the back when parking.

I don't understand why everyone hates their Cougar so much. I have had mine for about 8 months (bought it with only 8K miles on it and 3 months old at a nice discount) and have nothing but good things to say about it. It is the sharpest looking car for the money that you can buy. It rides very well on long drives (only for two though) and gets great highway fuel economy. The fit and finish of the interior blows away anything in its class (only on the XR though). The handling is above average and braking is strong as well. The car is fast from 30-75, but is rather slow from 0-30. It holds its own very well in freeway driving. So far, the only problem I have had is with my insurance company when someone backed into it. This is State Farm's bad and not Ford's, obviously. Overall, I am a very satisfied driver so far, and would give the car an A-/B+ grade. It is the most fun and reliable car I have ever driven to this point! So much of the longevity of a car depends on how you drive it. I know many people who drive like idiots and can't get more than 75K out of whatever they drive. I am on my third Ford and I sold my 86 Crown Victoria at 165K and my 92 Explorer at 157K. The CV had zero problems ever, and the Explorer was perfect until the tranny went at 157.

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None..test drove Eclipse, Celica, etc.

The car is cute and fun to drive while it's under warranty, once the warranty is up, you will have all sorts of problems with this car.

Too many problems that are occurring with all cougars. Ex: Leaking doors and sunroof, alternator keeps dying, easily punctured tires, etc.

I was so happy when I first got my cougar. I should have known from day one that I was going to have problems, when during the first week, the engine was reving while the car was in neutral. The dealer replaced the fuel sensor and it stopped. Then water starts leaking down the trunk to the front of my passenger side window (Don't ask me how this is possible, but the dealer fixed the leak). Now since the car is no longer under the warranty, I had to replaced the alternator (Sept 2002 at 48,000 miles) last year. Well not even a year later (July 2003 at 54,000 miles), the alternator has gone again while I'm 75 miles away from home. Which leaves me having to pay $175.00 to get towed home, as well as purchase a brand new alternator because the one I brought last year was not warrantied. I've noticed that owners of the 2000 Cougar are having to replace alternators very often, which means there's some underlying problem with this car that's causing the alternator to keep going, but of course Ford Motor Corp. will not recall the car because the repairs are happening after the car is no longer under warranty. The closer I get to paying my car off, the more problems I am starting to have, and these are not normal wear and tear problems, these are issues that most of these cars have and yet the manufacturer will not do anything about it. But it's ok. I will never buy another Ford/Mercury product again. They ripped me off one time, but they will not do it again.

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None

Looks Good!

trany,rear veiw,window moldings

Looks great ,, But that is as far as it goes,first year i had it. windows leak,transmition over rev's, front bumper is falling off!!...and so on and so on

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none will never by ford again!

LOOKS GREAT FAST CAR

ITS CRAP ! I SHOUD OF KNOWN WHEN I BOUGHT A FORD + FIX OR REPAIR DAILY !

I BOUGHT MY CAR IN AUGUST OF 2001 ! I LOVED IT ALL BLACK MOONRROF VERY SPORTY LOOKING ! THATS WHERE THE LOVE STOPPED ! NEVER DID I THINK TO ASK HOW MUCH TIRES WERE ! WELL TO HAVE THEM REPLACED ONLY TWO PLACES MAKE THEM AND YOU ARE LOOKING AT ABOUT 115.00 A PEICE ! NOW THERE IS A LEAK ON MY DRIVER SIDE DOOR AND SOMETHING LEAKING ONTO THE PASSANGER FLOOR ! INWHICH NO ONE CAN TELL ME WHERE THE LEAK IS COMING FROM ! THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE CONDENSATION IN THEM ALL THE TIME ! THE INTERIOR STAINS EASILY NO THANKS TO THE CRAP CUPHOLDER THEY PUT IN ! AND TO TOP EVERYTHING OFF SOMETIMES THE CAR STARTS SOMETIMES IT DOESNT ! I HAVE TAKEN IT TO SEVERAL CAR DEALERSHIPS NONE OF WHICH CAN FIND THE PROBLEM !

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CAVILER Z 24 SHOULD OF NEVER GOT RID OF THAT CAR !

none Main strenths (discontinued production)

cougar= contour,mystiq Reason Ford wanted to hide the car and they did.

This car is a mechanics nightmare. Ford should be shot for producing such a product.You can see why Ford lost billions producing lemons.The Cougar wont run for very long due to Fords shoody wiring and lousy engineering. The body lines are equal to a Yugo in quality and performance. If you compare a Ford to a Honda its like comparing Crap(Ford) to Platnum.I hope Ford goes out of business

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cougar= contour,mystiq

Pretty color...red.

Customer service of the dealer of purchase AND Corporate office. New training regarding how to speak with customers and proper follow-up is required.

I purchased the 2001 in November of 2000. Within the first week there was a major defect in the engine which required to return the car to the dealer. Upon conversing with the dealer and the Corporate Office, I received no support for them. Now, it's 2003 and I have to replace the sunroof, replace a engine module because of the engine light and coolant light...oh yeah, 3 new tires and front brakes. What is next?

Wasnt built in mexico (think I'm kidding,do the research).Engine noise is not overbearing at highway speeds,actually couldnt tell it was running sitting still when it was new without looking at the tach. Top speed is great but 0 to 60 is at the mercy of the transmission.

cup holder was designed by someone with a very sick mind.seats stain easy(thanks to the cup holder).back seat room,cheap tires hard to find.trans likes to shift down when it doesnt need to(hills).

My cougar now has 80K miles and still going strong.drive it to work daily(80+ miles)never left me on the side of the road,unlike my previous neon.taken to shop once for recall so ford would stop sending me notices,and once for a noise that it made starting up in very cold weather.and even then i only did it because it was still under warranty(hey, I live in south texas).finding tires on the other hand is a pain because that size are made only for that car,so I got some just a little taller solved that problem.Why I have such good luck with this car it seem no one else does I cant say, other than I dont drive like a teenager in it and I change the oil as soon as the light comes on. Have to drive with the cruise on because it drives the same at 90(wind noise,engine noise) as it does at 70.already been pulled over a couple of time for speeds I didnt realise I was going. It's also true that peaple with problems with their car are more likely to post than ones that dont.

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toyota corolla(great)dodge neon(drive it off a cliff,if it will make it that far)

You learn quite a bit about cars from tearing your car apart so much.

Ford corporate office

This car is sporty and very eye catching, but don't let the exterior fool you because the Mercury Couger is a terrible investment. We have had the following problems in the last year and a half: 2 new alternators New wiring system in car New fuel pump Rubber replaced around windows (leaking) Expensive tires (only two manufacturers) New track assembly for sun roof and my questions is...what will be next? For those of you who haven't had any problems, your lucky! But it's probably safe to say that the vast majority of Couger owners are going through the same headaches that we are right now. To the management of FORD, thank you for making my decision to not buy your products so easy for me. Your corporate customer service chaos along with one sleaze ball sales associate really made our experience truly enjoyable.

- It's sporty and showy, u can definetly brag on this car, hehe. - It's small and easy to get around in. - Has great gas mileage, I've driven from Illinois to Pennsylvania on a full tank of gas, no lie. - It's sound system is incredible.

- It tempts me to go 10x faster then the speed limit. - It needs some more room in back.

I got a black '00 Ford Mercury Cougar and I am in love with it. It's sexy and sporty and I wouldn't leave the car lot without it. I just got a spoiler and a bra and I am due to get a sunroof and decals later in the week, but even without all those things the Cougar is unique and is quite an eye catcher if I may say so. There hasn't been any problems with it so far and I have had it for almost 3 months, I only wish that it had some more room in the back, but I can live with that.

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My dad hates Ford's but that's all he seems to be wanting to get lately, hehe.