15th Nov 2002, 09:06

The paint on my 94 has a few flaws as well. The performance from the 4.6 V8 is unbelievable.

21st Feb 2003, 15:39

My head gasket went out at 82,000 miles. It is my understanding that head gaskets are a problem on 3.8 L engine. Unfortunately, they told me there is no recall on the 93 Cougar so I got stuck with the bill around $1,000. My friend has a 95 Thunderbird that blew its head gasket and they covered the whole thing. I believe the 94 Thunderbird was also covered. Needless to say, I was not very satisfied with the way they handled this problem. Otherwise, have been happy with the car. Only other real problem the brakes and rotors need replacing with only 26,000 miles on them because they were so cheap. Feb, 2003.

23rd Mar 2003, 14:55

Hey. I've got a '93 black XR-7 with black interior. I love her to death. Although, I've been told that the paint jobs on all '93 Cougars and Thunderbirds were horrible. My 5.0L V8 gives me quite a bit of power. Needless to say, I really need a paint job. I was also thinking about tinting some windows, putting on a 'Tornado' and maybe some Flowmasters. If I had the money, I'd drop in a 351. PS, has anyone else with a '93 had a problem with the ABS pumping system?

25th Aug 2003, 11:28

I have a 1993 Cougar XR7 with the 3.8 engine. I had to change the head gasket at 85 000 miles. Other than that I have only done regular maintenance to the car and it has treated me very well. The paint on my cougar is very bad and it is starting to rust, and that v6 could of used a little more power because I think that engine is gutless especially for the size and weight of the car.

13th Jun 2004, 04:16

I own a '97 Mercury Cougar. I love the car to death because of it's great get up and go. But I'm starting to have problems and wonder if it's the beginning.

First, my car would shut off while I was driving leaving me frantically trying to steer it out of the way. It hasn't done it in a while, but it still frightens me.

Second, my electrical functions in the driver's side door have begun to quit: mirror motor, window motor, and lock motor.

Then, the motor on the passenger side quit working.

I have problems with my paint job too, but will fix this on my own.

And finally, my odometer has quit.

I love my car and want to keep it for a while, but I don't have the money to sink into it. Will I keep having problems, do I need to put her down?

10th Oct 2004, 13:00

I just got my 93 Cougar it has a 3.8 liter in it and it is the best car I have ever owned.

Power drivers seat power windows, powerlocks, power mirrors,it it drives like a cadalac and looks great.

Awesome Car!!!

13th Feb 2006, 14:38

I own a 93 Cougar with a 3.8 V6. I bought it with 129k miles, and am now at 131k. I love it to death.

The only things I've fixed are, replacing the thermostat, no big deal, it's a 5 dollar fix, and the alignment, that was my fault, I hit a curb.

As far as the engine goes, I have had no problems. It does leak a little oil, but it still runs at a safe level.

The transmission is a 4 speed auto. For a car with this mileage, the transmission is in great working order.

The cooling system is all new Ford parts. No head gasket problems, and I hope it stays that way.

As far as power, the 3.8 starts and runs strong. The idle seems low, but I'm going to fix that.

As far as bodywork, the only complaint I have is rust, but I noticed that all of the 93's of the Cougar and Thunderbird rust in the same place, so it's not my fault. I'm going to fix that and paint it. It's white now; I'm thinking black with silver ghost flame.

I do see some electrical problems. Before I put in new speakers and a head unit, I noticed that when I turned the wheel, the radio died.

The most recent problem is that the engine temp gauge goes up to the red, and the check engine light goes on, but it isn't overheating, it blows no fluid and makes no noise. As soon as it gets to the red, the needle drops to cold and the car stops putting out heat (through the heater) and I only get cold air. The A/C works fine; it's winter, so I don't need it.

All the lights work, but it does have that yellowing problem with the headlamps.

As far as the interior goes, all of the switches work, and the interior lights are bright and working. The electric seats work, but the leather is wearing on the driver's side, but hey, I don't care.

All in all, the car may be a little old, but it's fast, it's quiet, and it beats those little compact cars easy.

Despite the little things, I think anyone who owns a Cougar of this vintage knows, they run great and keep going. I would rather keep fixing and upgrading this car than sell it. I love it and always will. I fix it for fun, so I don't pay much when I do have it fixed.

As far as power, the 3.8 fuel injection is plenty (burnouts on demand). If I ever want V8 power, all I need is a 4 barrel carb and the supercharger (available in the Supercoupe); a version of the cougar and Thunderbird marketed for power.

I accept that older cars need more work; to me the work I do on my Cougar is just exploiting the potential this car has to live on.

The body of my car is solid, and the blemishes are easily fixed.

I love the Cougar, and believe Ford should re-release it with retro styling (mandatory rear drive); these new sport compact Cougars are not reminiscent of their muscle car roots.

29th Mar 2006, 18:35

My cougar did the same thing with the temperature gauge. I found out 2 weeks later the head gasket blew because my Cougar died, the engine was warped so I got it rebuilt and everything replaced under the hood, new alt, ac compressor, pulleys, EGR valve, water pump. You Name it, its been replaced, but get that temperature gauge checked out before the Cougar goes crazy, if its not too late you can still fix it.

3rd Apr 2006, 20:10

Hey looks like I'm not the only one that loves my '93 cougar. I got it at around 150,000 miles and the biggest promblems I've had is no ac, and some of the electrical is starting to malfunction. Now it has almost 180,000, the car was wrecked at around 130,000 miles and you can't even tell. the paint has been changed to a white with a gold pearl, to be honest I'm not to fond of the color. Anyways my car will still burn out on demand. (speaking of which I need new tires.) The head gasket did go out at around 80,000 miles. Oh yeah this car has been in the family since 1995. Other than a few rattles created by my sub-woofer the car has held up well and I'm proud of her.