20th Jun 2002, 08:49

I have a 1997 Cougar XR7. We purchased it in 1999 with 8 thousand miles on it. It is a solid, reliable car. The smooth V-8 and weight of the car make it a pleasure to drive.

Maintenance costs are at a minimum. It gets 29 miles to the gallon on the road and maybe 24 around town.

My son has had a '91 T'bird SC Coupe for ten years. I was quite pleased to find a lot of the T'bird's engine technology (distributor-less ignition, electric fans) in the XR7.

15th Nov 2002, 13:11

I own a 1997 Cougar XR7. I purchased it brand new and have had nothing but problems with the driver side window. I've taken back to the dealer several times and they can't seem to fix it. The motor has been replaced 4 times! Has anyone else had this problem??

28th Mar 2003, 23:57

I purchased my 1995 cougar xr7 in June of 2001. it's a beautiful car with a lot of power. no complaints. I maintain the car,it has 57,000 miles and it's in mint condition.I'm very happy with this car. the best deal ever.

17th Apr 2003, 10:34

I have a 94 cougar xr7 it's a beautiful car, but its considered an old person's car. Oh well I love it! I'm 16 so I got this fuscia color to make it seem like a younger person's car.

2nd May 2003, 14:30

I'm 17 and just bought a 1996 mercury cougar a month ago. I love that car its quick as hell and has just enough power to spin the wheels to show off, but not so much that you can't drive like a sane person.

8th Aug 2003, 12:20

We owned a 97 Cougar and traded it with 25000 miles on it. Beginning at 500 miles, the steering wheel shaked so bad, it would rattle your teeth when driving. The dealership tried to balance the drive shaft, replace tires twice, turn rotors, balance tires, replace rims and replace the anti-sway bar. The final straw was when I arrived at the dealership and saw the entire drive train on the ground while they attempted to "adjust the pinion gear pre-load" on the rear axle. This car turned out to be nothing more than a cash cow for the dealership and a headache for us. Ford was no help. We will never purchase a Ford vehicle again.

7th Sep 2004, 20:16

I had a Mercury Cougar XR7 year 1996. I sorta was in an accident with it and it was totaled. Now all I have looked for is another one exactly the same... why? Because new cougars are pieces of juck... *so I have heard now because of this site* Also because of two things. My car had get up and go, was great for beating people off the line, and because it looks like an old person's car, no one ever expects that! The second reason was it was a wonderful drive, smooth, great on turns... it was a beautiful car! It will be missed for the rest of my life, (or until they make another car as good as that one!).

12th Feb 2006, 14:15

I purchased a 97 XR7 Oct 2005 with 6150 miles. It had set up for a number of years. It seemed to have a tire out of balance and all tires were weather cracked. So I replaced all 4 of them. Still shimmied at 65MPH. I took it to Good Year where I had dealt before. All the rubber seals on the ball joints were rotted away. They replaced the ball joints and now it steers terrible (it won't straighten up after a turn without manual steering) It now shimmies at 72MPH. The car is a cream puff except for the steering. It is also very rough riding. This is in comparision to my 2002 Chev PU.

27th Jun 2012, 10:41

I have 1997 4.6L XR7 Cougar bought in 2001 with 43000 miles. Now it has little over 100000 miles. Only problem new was with a plastic intake manifold a few years ago. After 11 years, that car runs like a dream. I tried a lot of different cars, new and used, and Cougar is still the best.

31st Jan 2013, 11:28

I love my 30th Anniversary Cougar. It's maroon with a tan two tone. I'm constantly told how it's a grandpa's car or a 'granny getter'. That's fitting because I was given this car from my grandpa, but he always had Cougars and Lincoln Mark IV Town Cars. I'm 15, soon to be 16. My car is impeccable. 30,86x miles. No rust, and she has plenty of power. Had to replace the intake and a head gasket. $1800. Not cheap, but I still love my Cougar.

30th May 2013, 21:07

You sound like you're in the same boat as me. I have the same car and everyone calls it a "granny getter", until I blow them off at a stop light. I'm sixteen instead of fifteen.

14th Mar 2015, 01:42

LOVE my 1997 30th Anniversary Edition Cougar. My dad bought it for me new so we would have reliable transportation to bring our kids over to see him and my mom in their old age. That was 18 years and 305,000 miles ago! That was the most amazing gift a person could ever want. They are gone now, but I think of them every time I get into the car. The car is fast, smooth, easy to maneuver, comfortable, reliable, and very safe, but most of all, beautiful! Many people have marveled at how beautiful it is. To keep it new in good condition I changed the engine oil often and waxed the outside as often as I could.

These past few years, the brakes became unreliable and I had to have them changed. And I’m heartbroken now because it needs a new engine and I will probably get a new car, but I do not see anything as wonderful and safe and special as my 1997 Mercury Cougar. Wish I could buy a new one!

11th Oct 2015, 22:12

You don't have to get a new car. I can give your car new life... if you're semi local that is, or don't mind transport costs. I have the same car in my yard, a 97 Anniversary Edition XR7 that I'm redoing for my brother in-law.

Getting it to be a reliable driver is cheap. In most cases under 1500$.

But if you're willing to spend maybe around 5000$, you can have a car that runs and looks as if it's under a year or 2 old.

Text me @ +16316827776.

I own a shop here in Yaphank NY.