I was only in possession of our subject Cougar LS for a few months – it had been my brother’s DD until it blew a (3.8l) head gasket and he replaced it with a new Saturn SL. I forget if he gave me the Cougar or I paid him $100 for it. I topped off the radiator and drove it to our apartment, where a very patient and tolerant landlord permitted me to have it on jackstands for three weeks while I pulled the heads and replaced the gaskets, among other repair needs that surfaced in the process. It immediately went to the curb with a For Sale sign, and I think I ended up getting maybe $500 for it, which wasn’t much for the amount of work I put into it.
1985 brought a revised interior to the Mercury Cougar along with a Mercedes-like grille (early production units were cast zinc, later ones were molded plastic). A complete refresh had been slated for 1986, but ended up being pushed out to 1987, partially due to continued strong sales.
This car was one I was quite happy to be rid of – it was comfortable to sit in (and the center console was pretty cool), but other than that, it was underpowered, floaty and just plain tired.
Nicely designed cars, but definitely better with the V8.
Nice 6 volt Beetle ! .
-Nate
That was my ’64 DD – drove it six years back and forth on the Atlanta, GA I-285 perimeter. 40hp was fine in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Not so much when traffic was moving briskly (typically anywhere from 65-90+ mph).
Prefer the same year T-Bird just a small bit more. As good as the 302 V8 was, why did these have to have 3/4ths of that engine and 3 or 4 times the problems?
My 86 blew a head gasket, not unusual for those 3.8s. I loved that car, it was my first new car. Black over silver, and I babied it to death. My wife thought it was better cared for than she was. She was right.
I think this car would have benefited from a suspension upgrade, stiffening of the chassis and the installation of the engine from the 2000 Ford Mustang Cobra R. I can also see the installation of Forgeline wheels and performance tires for this car as well.
After everything I have heard about those 3.8s, I count myself fortunate that my 86 Marquis wagon never ate one of its head gaskets. It was a 5 year old car with high miles, so either the low number of heat/cool cycles helped, or it had already been done before I bought it. I actually liked the way the 3.8 drove in front of a 3 speed C5 automatic.
I see a good QOTD – what was the shortest stretch of any car you owned. Mine was 3 weeks with an 85 “Collectors Edition” LeSabre coupe. I never even put gas in it. I had bought it with the harebrained idea that I would sell my Club Wagon and save money with two older cheap cars. I rethought my plan and the person who had been insulted that the first owner didn’t sell it to him bought it from me for what I paid for it. Everyone was happy.
I remember passing the Mercury dealership when these cars were new and the front line was strait Cougars. They reminded me of Chipmunks with their cheeks stuffed with nuts.
I never got over that roof line and rear window on these cougars. The Thunderbird looks so much better.
That grille looks like it was pulled from a W124 Mercedes, sent to a headshrinker and stuck on a Thunderbird. In my mind, Cougars became irrelevant when they went to those bloated mid 70s models.
Apparently the 3.8L had a tendency to eat head gaskets. The other problem is that when you replace the gaskets you should also replace the O2 sensors. Ford redesigned the 3.8L in the (1997-1999) time frame with a split port design and improved gaskets that largely alleviated that problem. Other than that, the 3.8L was a pretty durable engine. My father’s old 1983 Mustang with the 3.8l is still on the road near his house with the original engine/transmission.
A car I drove for about 12 years and was glad to pawn off on my older brother…
Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos handy of the years I drove it, but it was always under a covered parking area, washed at least once a month by hand, and regular maintenance performed. Over the years I owned it, and I do refer to it as an “it”, not a “her”, not much ever went wrong with the car outside horrible styling of the thing. And the lack of any “get up and go”. The V6 was a strong engine, but just not strong enough to pull the bulbous weight of the Cougar.
The interior was posh, even nice. Certainly for a Georgia Tech college student!
Ed co-signed the car with me and it was paid off by the time I graduated college. It was a daily driver all those years around the Atlanta area. The morning I drove it to work and noticed white smoke billowing behind me, I knew I might be approaching the end of an era.
It sat parked for a few months before Ed suggested taking it off my hands. A used Saturn replaced it. I drove the Saturn for about 10 years too.
It was a good car, maybe too nice for a college student, but overall a good car. Roomy, even if it was hard to nestle into the back seat. And how many times did I almost take an ear off as I quickly inserted myself into the drivers seat while pulling the door closed too fast.
Notice, most of the pin striping is intact. Over the years of car washes, it slowly chipped off.
Fun memories. I’d never own one again!