2000 Mercury Cougar V-6 5 speed. 2.5L 24v V6 DOHC from North America

Summary:

A reliable sporty coupe at a good price.

Faults:

The latch for the hatch is touchy, the only way to get it to work is to hit the button while pulling the hatch up.

The low coolant light comes on whenever it drops below 40 degrees, even though there is plenty of coolant in it-no leaks either.

General Comments:

Other than that I love this car.

She's very comfortable in the front, I regularly make 7 hour drives in her without complaint; however, the rear does not even seem to be made for people, so its not a family car.

I have raced her against V-6 Mustangs and Camaros and won every time. Occasionally I can hold my own against a V-8, more frequently if he has an auto transmission.

The style is amazing. She turns heads everywhere I go and all in all is just an absolutely beautiful machine.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th January, 2004

19th Feb 2004, 22:08

Just want to update a couple things on the car (as this is my review). The coolant light is fixed, it is apparently just very touchy. Other owners have recommended filling it just above the max line, no problems with that since.

If you are looking at buying one you should know about the common issues.

The sunroof rails tend to warp or break, which can be a pretty pricey repair.

You can never let this car drop below a quarter tank of gas. The fuel pump will fail if you do this enough, it doesn't take very many times. The first couple years of the Ford Focus used the same fuel pump and have the same issue.

Lastly, the auto transmission is not good if you plan on racing it. I've never known Ford to make a good ATX for racing, but this is probably one of their worst. The gearing is fine for daily driving, but it has very little acceleration. The MTX if fine for that, but be warned, do not attempt to teach someone to drive stick on this car. It is great because it is virtually impossible to stall out, but riding the clutch (as most first time drives do) will eat through the clutch like you wouldn't believe, and if you don't have the cash to fix it immediatly, you'll soon be spending about 2k for a new clutch and flywheel. (Just as my sister-in-law about that one, she was nice enough to pay for it).

5th Aug 2005, 09:30

I own a 2000 cougar and I have not have 1 problem with it. I bought it used 8 months ago, and the lady I purchased it from never let the car go below 1/4 of a tank. I think that's why my car has been so faithful to me. I have replaced the fuel pump though (because I DID let it go below the 1/4 tank) and sure enough it destroyed the pump. The coolant light is my only issue with this car. Good advice on filling the coolant just above the line! I plan on trying that tonight.

2000 Mercury Cougar 5-speed 4 cylinder. from North America

Summary:

This is a fun car

Faults:

My hood latch gets stuck sometimes.

The gas gage is electronically off by about 45 miles.

The car chokes at high rpms when the gas is low making it hard to drive with less that a quarter of a tank.

General Comments:

This is a great car altogether and I love to drive it.

It is well liked by all of my friends and it attracts a lot of attention.

I regret getting the 4-cyl. after driving the V6 but it is still a quick car and rides very well.

Exterior modifications are available and I do recommend looking in to some of them, my body kit and spoiler add an incredible difference.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th December, 2003

19th Feb 2004, 22:11

The off by 45 problem is a normal thing. It is actually caused by the fuel pump being front mounted and mounted too high. This causes it to be unable to get to the gas that is there.

On a side note, read other reviews of this car. You should never get that low anyway, it is bad for all cars, but it is absolutely terrible for this car. I apologize in advance to you, because youre soon going to need a new fuel pump.