Faults:

Bought it used @ 96000m with engine light on, and oil leak.

To get rid of all that, I had to replace:

1) O2 Sensor.

2) EGR VALVE GASKET

3) EGR PRESSURE FEEDBACK SENSOR

3) THROTTLE BODY GASKET

4) ALTERNATOR DRIVE BELT

5) OIL PAN GASKET.

General Comments:

-Horrible gas mileage 16.5city / 24highway.

-Interior is noisy, however it makes as much noise at 40 as it does at 100.

-The car is heavy for its "sporty" class, but it corners really good, and overall feels fast and responsive.

-Stock tires are not made for snow, and the car is generally not made for cold weather.

-I have a Trunk mounted 6-CD Changer, and sound system is OK, but if you used to the nice sound of Pioneers, Sonys and other custom receivers, Cougar's stock stereo will sound horrible.

-Front seats in this car are extremely comfortable (if you over 5'6" :)

-I'm pretty much satisfied with brakes, but it takes time for them to warm up.

On the inside and outside the car is very attractive and looks fast. I love driving it. Very good handling. Feels safe. Can be confidently driven at triple digit speeds. Nice and quick car for the city. The acceleration and braking are OK.

Numerous mechanical and other problems occurred on newer model cougars due to Ford's engineering issues. One of the most irritable is problem with 98'/99's sunroofs (because of the plastic tracks) The repair will cost close to 1000 dollars.

Do not purchase this car, unless you fallen in love with it, and you have tons of money to spend on repairs.

Faults:

The oxygen sensor went out at around 52,000 miles causing my check-engine light to come on. It cost $300 to replace. Not a big deal.

The transmission malfunction light came on at around 58,000 miles. It was covered by an extended warranty I have on the car. Everything is fine now.

General Comments:

My cougar has been a very nice car. It is fairly quick, and is designed very well, both inside and out.

Everything is easy to use, and even after 6 years the car still looks new. The red paint is still glossy, and the leather seats and the carpet are not worn.

Of course, I've had to do some maintenance on the car, but what car don't you have to maintain.

For the price, I believe it is hard to find a car that looks as nice, is as quick, feels as smooth, and gets as many good comments as my Cougar. All around, It's a really nice car.

Faults:

I had to get new tires shortly after purchasing, but put it off as long as I could due to the high cost of the tires.

The drivers seat is starting to wear badly on the side near the door. The passenger seat is not as bad, but is starting to show.

I got a recall for the fuel pump a couple of months ago and took it to a local Ford dealership (not where I purchased the car). When I left there I had 1/2 tank of gas. By the time I got home, which is about 10 minutes from there, I was nearly empty. I had to again go back and have it fixed-they didn't do it properly.

Brakes are another thing that are a pain with this car... whoever had the car previously replaced the brake pad w/o replacing the rotors and caused a huge bill for me. Thanks.

The car shakes really bad every once in a while when it wants to have fit. This occurs either when I am backing out of a parking space or waiting at a stoplight.

Also, the defrost cover does not stay down.

My headlights are cracked, although not that noticeable.

Paint chips off the car VERY easily.

No one, but those under 10 years old can sit in the back.

Finally, you can't open the trunk using the button inside the car... you have to use the remote.

General Comments:

When I first saw this car, I was in love. I thought it was a sweet looking car and it had power (I was driving a Cavalier at the time). The side of the car looked great and during the test drive it handled great.

It still is a great car... my only huge disappointment is the interior wearing. I get a lot of compliments on the car and the color (amethyst)

I'm not sure I would purchased from Ford again... I miss my Cavalier a lot sometimes...