1993 Mercury Cougar XR-7 3.8L V6 from North America

Summary:

Very Reliable Beast

Faults:

Leather seats have become worn out on both the driver and passenger sides.

Headlight switch malfunctioned and had to be replaced for a reasonable price.

Water Pump and Alternator both went out at approximately 135,000 miles.

My rotors are warped like crazy, I plan to fix this as soon as possible.

General Comments:

The car steers like a champion, very small turning radius, great handling!

Ample room in the car, I haven't had any complaints and I have had a multitude of friends pile in.

I wish the V6 would accelerate quicker, but it is understandable for such a heavy car. The car is very quick from a punch though.

She runs well at high speeds. I have gone upward of 100 mph a couple times. I'm sure she can top 120, though I cannot admit to going that speed myself.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 12th November, 2003

20th Nov 2008, 21:06

I topped mine out at 110 and couldn't push it much more.

I'm very pleased with mine though. Except for the fact the window motor on the drivers side has gone bad, and I can't put my window down to open it on the outside, on account that I disconnected something while trying to unlock it because I locked my keys in the car. All that has forced me to crawl our of it on the passenger side.

But I must say I am pleased with the power of it.

1993 Mercury Cougar XR7 3.8L from North America

Summary:

A safe, low-cost, inexpensive, and dependable car

Faults:

Replaced multifunction switch, the switch that changes the high/low-beam headlights. I installed some non-factory headlight bulbs, which overpowered the switch and burned something out. Cheap to replace.

Front seats (leather) need to be reconditioned. Costs approximately $150 to do all seats.

General Comments:

For being a 3800 lb. V6, it's fast. The 6-cylinder cars had troubles with the head-gaskets, but I haven't had any problems with this car. My 4-cylinder Contour had over $3000 worth of engine problems, and still needs another engine installed.

Insurance is much cheaper on these cars than on Mustangs or Camaros. My insurance went down from my last car, the Contour, which actually had air bags, was 4-door, 2 years newer, and had about half the engine size.

It is a very safe vehicle. Many people have noticed that accident victims can usually walk away from accidents.

My costs for the car have been regular maintenance (i.e.: tires, oil changes, ignition wires), a small amount of things that have gone wrong (under $100), and working on the stereo and interior to make it look like a great ride.

If you do need replacement parts for your car, there are a lot of people with replacements, like the guys on forums.tccoa.com; they usually give me a good price on stuff I need.

I drove it to Montana and back this summer. We had close to 20 MPG.

And yes, it will get up to 120 MPH, but will get a little shaky, mainly because I bought some cheap Viva 2 tires.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th September, 2003

1993 Mercury Cougar XR-7 V6 3.8L EFI from North America

Summary:

Best rear-wheel car overall

Faults:

Starter died at 100K miles, because it rusted out. I hear it's common for Fords from those years. It was very easy to replace though.

Headlight lenses are made of plastic which has now turned yellow/brownish and doesn't let that much light through. Xenon light bulbs don't fix this adequately, so I am looking for clear lenses.

General Comments:

I love my Cougar. I value cars a lot by their appearance, with DeLorean, some models of Jaguar and 89-97 Cougar being my top three choices. I needed a car quick and I got this 93 black cat, and I did not regret it at all. It looks good, it is roomy and comfortable inside, it makes a very smooth ride. This is the fifth car I drive after Saturn, Neon, Intrepid, and Sunbird, and is the best one overall. The handling is also perfect, I had no problems keeping up with SUVs in the snow this winter.

Of course like everyone with a V6 Cougar I wish I had a V8, and preferably a stick. But it's only a passing thought when a Mustang beats me on a red light.

On regular gasoline this car does 17 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on highway at 75mph. If you go up to 100mph, it goes down to 17 MPG again.

If I ever lose this car, I will get a black 97 Cougar V8 or, if I have enough money for upgrades, a DeLorean.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th July, 2003

30th Sep 2005, 11:52

I also love my 93 cougar. Even with 168,000 miles on it I can still keep up with all the little rice rockets. My cougar also has the 3.6 liter v6 and I do wish I had the v8 but this one will do fine until I find the right v8 for me.