Faults:

Drop links replaced at 90000.

Alternator replaced at 96000.

General Comments:

Personally I can't fault this car. It eats the motorway miles and is very comfortable. The boot is huge and can easily accommodate 4 person's luggage.

This is the third one I have owned now, and love the way they drive.

The auto was very nice to drive, although the CD4E gearbox was not the best in the world, and can be a little jumpy between gears. They can be prone to problems around 100,000 miles.

The manual VX ones are the one to go for; everything you could ask for in a car, plenty of power on tap when needed, leather, cruise control, heated seats, air con. What more could you ask for?

As for the looks, they still look stunning, even in a car park full of newer cars.

One thing you have to remember, the Cougar is not really a sports car, it's a sports tourer. Do don't expect blistering performance from it, although you can do a few mods with ST200 inlets and throttle body etc to unleash some more power, and greatly improve throttle response.

The only down side is the rising cost of fuel these days, but never fear as the big cat can still return a good 35-38 MPG on a run, and if you drive sensibly round town, you can average 22-24 MPG, which is not bad for a big V6.

All in all, a lot of car for your money. Look for a low mileage one and check wishbones, drop-links for play, and the rear subframe for any rust. Other than that, you can't go wrong.

Faults:

Transmission failure.

Battery failure.

Alternator failure.

Problematic windows.

Problematic speakers.

I purchased a new transmission at 100,000 miles, at the expensive cost of $2,800 (which is probably worth more than the vehicle itself). I also purchased a new alternator, which wasn't cheap either. That cost me $650.00.

General Comments:

It's a very cute girly car, for normally a good price. But it is not reliable at all. It is my first car, and I got it when I was 16, so I wanted the car for looks at the time. But buying it was a mistake; with all the money I've put into it, I could've purchased a better and more reliable car.

Faults:

I bought this car from a person who worked at a Ford dealer, and it needed a clutch. After I started ripping apart the car to do the clutch I found he had totally abused the maintenance. I replaced:

Clutch - I have never seen one smoked this bad!

Both ball joints.

CV boot.

Repaired BAD exhaust leak.

Rear drums/shoes.

Front rotors/pads.

BOTH parking brake cables.

BOTH rear brake hoses.

General Comments:

After dealing with the previous owner's NEGLECT, the car has been great! It shifts smooth, gets AMAZING gas mileage. 40 mpg highway. Although the 2.0 is possibly the most gutless motor I have ever driven.

Car has power everything, including moonroof. Everything works great.

Overall it's been a great car. Just keep up on maintenance. And don't trust when people say "I'm an employee at a _____________ Dealer" Chances are good, even though they work there, they don't maintain their vehicle!