If there’s one thing the domestic automotive brands are good at, it’s creating a special edition out of thin air. The Big 3 love themselves a trim package that fattens the bottom line without adding significant value for the customer, and the Bostonian Edition Mercury Cougar is a terrific example of this concept. The Bostonian was one of several region-centric special edition packages offered by Mercury (sorry, Michigan residents, there was no Kalamazooian edition) and the Bostonian trim seemed to be the one that proved most popular. Find this 1990 Mercury Cougar LS offered here on eBay, complete with the added bonus of Massachusetts rust.
The Cougar is offered for the reasonable Buy-It-Now price of $1,700 and the seller appears to be a used auto parts business. My guess is the Cougar was acquired via a “please remove this vehicle from the property” phone call, or just dropped off for junking. The seller notes it does need TLC, and the description is blisteringly honest. “We 100% guarantee you will find other issues with this car” is one of my favorite lines ever in an eBay listing, and the seller rattles off several mechanical flaws in addition to a fair amount of rocker rust. There’s a power steering leak noted (to the tune of draining all fluid in about 30 minutes), and numerous unsavory sounds coming from the suspension. However, it still looks pretty darn good in black with gold trim.
And it has a sweet digital gauge cluster! The region-specific special editions were all the same recipe with some different pinstriping on the fender calling out the market it was sold in. You got the landau roof, for sure, along with some other features added in, but there was nothing particularly remarkable about the car. The Cougar in its seventh generation was a generally well-liked coupe with good power and attractive styling, even if it wasn’t particularly remarkable in stock form. The XR7 and the supercharged Super Coupe were far more compelling options.
But those options cost more money, and the seller is bullish about the fact that you can’t do much better than this for a cheap project car with some classic appeal that runs and drives. I would put a bandaid on the rocker rust and treat it like an interesting daily that you won’t miss if it gets totaled out; the seller notes the 3.8L V6 (did I mention it’s FUEL INJECTED?!) runs well and the transmission shifts through the gears; for $1,700, what more do you want?
Fun write-up Jeff. Yes, it’s a beater. A beater which, in its day, was a flashy, over-trimmed (in my opinion) Cougar. The XR-7 versions of this model were more interesting.
I will give the salvage yard (?) seller credit for what is actually a very good ad. Lots of info about the car, and the “guarantee you will find other issues” comment is a hoot. Bring the seller a grand and you will likely have a new project to take home.
Aaah! Yet another Marvelous Mercury (even though below LAND YACHT status) I would thoroughly enjoy IF ONLY…. 😔 Well it is a stand out decked out with the Devine Decadence of OTT excessively chromed luxury. But you’ve heard THAT before. The last IMO real Cougar at the sign of The 😻. Truly worth a complete restoration.
Aaah! Yet another Marvelous Mercury (even though below LAND YACHT status) I would thoroughly enjoy IF ONLY…. 😔 Well it is a stand out decked out with the Devine Decadence of OTT excessively chromed luxury. But you’ve heard THAT before. The last IMO real Cougar at the sign of The 😻. Truly worth a complete restoration.
If it’s a genuine Bostonian edition it will have the “turn signal delete” option
Blinkah.
And it’ll have a half-full cup of iced Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in the cup holder.
Remember the variable message signs that said “Use Yah Blinkah”?
I subscribe to their YouTube channel, they do one or two short videos a day and every w couple of weeks a two to three minute video showing the junk that comes in, most going straight to the crusher. They have a sense of humor, especially compared to the comments the videos get. They showed this car a while ago, nobody has yet to step forward, it’s a cheap beater that might make a good parts car if people were restoring these. My guess it shows up in another video in a few months getting loaded into the crusher while they read some of the earlier comments about how desirable this car is.
Steve R
24 Hours of LeMons comes to mind. You might find a power steering pump in the junk yard where the car sits. The 1K Bob mentioned above will probably get you the car, the pump, and some front end parts
Have fun until the engine goes and then off to the crusher.
24 hours of Lemons has a $500 cap for purchase and prep, excluding safety equipment specifically referenced in the rules.
Steve R
True but I think they have a system for penalizing on a sliding scale based on how much over $500 you go.
Fantastic and funny event the Lemons 🍋 🏁
Is this a mechanic’s special or a mechanic’s nightmare or both.
I had a 1989 Cougar Bostonian Edition with the 3.8 V6. Kind of a decent car if you wanted a small personal semi luxury car. Zero visibility backing up due to the vertical rear window. Never cared for the power window controls on the center console – you were always reaching for the door when you remembered where the controls were. Also, rear seat occupants were at the mercy of those in the front who controlled the air or windows. But it was a comfortable ride, and looked classy. I bought mine for $1800, sold it 3 years later for $4000. Still on the road!
About the fuel injected 3.8L engine- I had a ’91 front wheel drive Lincoln Continental ( just a puffed up Taurus ) with the 3.8 and it had some good power until it spun a con rod bearing at 65k miles. I pulled the engine & rebuilt it in my garage. Found one of Ford’s better ideas was to place standard size bearing 1/2 in the block & con rod, then use whatever undersize 1/2 shell needed to get the proper clearance on each journal. When I rebuilt engines in the diesel shop, I would get FIRED for mis-matching bearing 1/2’s. But, the engine ran great after my rebuild. Plenty of power. Of course, the tranny blew up at 120k miles, as Ford front wheel drive trannies are won’t to do.