1999 Mercury Cougar consumer reviews

I bought my cougar used over three years ago. I love the look of the car and the way it drives, but it has been anything but reliable. Problems started a few weeks after I purchased it. The oxygen sensors needed replaced as well as the fly wheel. The air conditioning was also an issue. I had the car in and out of the shop probably four or five times before it was actually fixed. I've recently had to fix faulty wheel bearings and now am having an issue with getting the car started. In the three years I've owned it I've probably put about $3,000 into repairs.

I purchased my Cougar in 1999. (4 cylinder - 5 speed) It has treated me well. I have put very little money into the car for other than normal maintenance. It has given me many years of excellence. The most expensive issue was the A/C when it gave out a year or so ago. (In south Florida A/C is used year round.) It also had an annoying fuel problem. It caused it to misfire when accelerating around a turn. Every couple of years it would reappear and require a warrantee repair. They finally fixed the faulty part and so it is no longer an issue. (A recall went out later.) I have not had the problem in over 4 years. I have spent considerable time in the car over the years. It now has over 170,000 miles on it and it still runs great. I would buy another one if I had they still made it.

I've had this Cougar since Dec. 1, 1998 when it was a brand-new version based on a combination of the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique/Ford Probe plus the Mazda 626 and MX-6. I selected it because the Probe&Mystique were rated highly by several publications, so I figured since the Cougar would have the same mechanicals, I'd go for it. In addition, I liked the hatchback feature which the other vehicles I was considering, like the Pontiac Grand Am and Olds Alero didn't offer. The Cougar's styling was more futuristic as well; in fact, I still get favorable comments about it. For the most part, the car has been pretty good. The only major repair I've had to make was the replacement of the alternator after 5 1/2 years; otherwise, the rest have been expected ones like brakes, tires, ball joints, struts, etc. The ride is a little hard because of the firm suspension, but the handling compensates for it, while the braking has been pretty good also. Anyone experiencing the type of winter conditions encountered in the northern US or Canada would be wise to change over to winter tires between November and March because the standard B.F. Goodrich or Firestone all-seasons become too hard to provide proper handling and braking on snow and ice. As V-6s go, the 2.5 liter job isn't especially powerful though it provides all the sap I need and I average 26 mpg year-around with the 5-speed manual gearbox. Seating is OK in the front but pretty cramped in back, but I rarely carry more than one passenger, so it's no concern to me. The car now has 84,000 mi. on it, and I intend to keep it at least two more years because it meets my needs, and I have been satisfied with most of its features and performance. It's too bad Ford discontinued this car after only a 4-year run, but 2-door hatchbacks don't sell that well in N. America. Yet the last generation of Cougars was quite unique, and any long-term reliability assessments of it rated it above average in almost all categories except for a tendency for either fuel or water pumps failing prematurely. I also don't like the fact that the oxygen sensors have to be replaced after about four years though this is common on many cars dues to the emission controls. So it's been a fairly good car that I regard as part of the family.

The primary problems I have had with the car is that it eats alternators. Mercury should have rethought the car and offered the '98+ Contour SVT package with the car. Or they should have based it off of the Mustang as apposed to the Contour and offered the SVT package with it. But for what it is it is an amaising car and I LOVE IT!

My automatic 1999 Cougar was a complete lemon. Every two to 4 months another several thousand dollar problem would arise. This included MULTIPLE transmission failures resulting in me having to replace the transmission twice, and rebuild it once. Starter problems, where both the starter and fly wheel were worn down to such a degree that the car would only start about 20% of attempted start ups. Recently I was told there was an oil drip in the engine.

One of the most beatiful cars on the road still today in 2006. If they made one in a convertible, I would still be driving one today