If you compare the 7th and 8th generation Mercury Cougars, you’ll likely swear these were siblings with different parents. The cars are dramatically different despite being just one generation apart, but it tells an important story about how hard Ford was working to transform the brand’s identity. The Cougar was no longer a rear-wheel drive personal luxury coupe but a replacement for the discontinued Ford Probe and a way to bring younger shoppers into the showroom. Very few of these Cougars have survived in decent condition, and this 1999 model listed here on craigslist is a rare exception.
Recently, Honda reintroduced the Prelude namesake, and the initial response has been underwhelming among enthusiasts. The hope that the car would put a compelling sport compact back into Honda’s lineup have been seriously dashed, as the car is already looking like just another hybrid-powered commuter with some sporty details and no real performance credentials (it doesn’t help that dealers have been price-gouging the heck out of them.) The Cougar, to its credit, paired the snorty and powerful Duratec V6 with an available manual transmission to make it an impressive performed right out of the gate.
However, it was still not a huge seller. It was a tough job to suddenly get younger shoppers interested in the Mercury brand with the first model since the Capri that could reasonably expect to catch the eye of a younger buyer. While some kudos need to be given to the higher-ups at Ford for completely overhauling the Cougar’s identity, it seems unfair to place all of the burden of attracting younger buyers on one model, and a brand-new one at that (Cadillac has struggled under a similar strategy.) The Cougar shown here was clearly loved by its caretaker, however, with leather seats and exterior cosmetics both appearing to be in excellent condition.
And what a color combo, too – it seems possible that whoever owned this car first placed a special order for one equipped in this scheme and with loads of options. While the automatic transmission is a bummer, it’s also not uncommon; finding one of these in good shape with three pedals is approaching unicorn status. The V6 pushed out a healthy 170 b.h.p., and when equipped with the 5-speed manual, could reach 145 miles per hour with the factory sport package, which raised the maximum speed from 115. This may be a sport package car as it features the optional 16-inch wheels, but it’s hard to tell for sure. Regardless, it looks like one of the best 8th-generation cars on the market today. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the find.
The car looks a lot like it was supposed to compete with the 2-door Accord of the time. It fell short, as Ford vs. Honda always does.
Add to that the burgeoning SUV insanity with the inherent $10-12k BASE price difference to the Cougar ($20k more with added farkles) and we see why the salesmen living on commission were all but insistent to push them and the Grand Marquis when someone didn’t want a truck type version of an AWD station wagon..
These were neat sporty cars for their time but as with so many others of that ilk there was no corporate push-I mean, Dennis Hopper was a renowned movie character, but Demi Moore or Bruce Willis might have had bigger impact.
Interesting observation! I was just thinking to myself that this is a very timely offering with the recent intro of the new Honda Prelude.
It looks somewhat similar, has similar functionality, and would appeal to the same type of market. As this write up observes, that’s not an enthusiast. It would be a buyer looking for a sporty but practical and comfortable car – a predominantly female buyer base. That’s primarily who you saw driving these back when they were new. My firm’s pretty young receptionist drove one.
Unfortunately for Honda, sales are not going very well. I think that’s because this segment is not yet reestablished.
I’m not sure it could be in today’s times, but Honda’s a lot smarter than me, lol, so maybe it will catch back on?
POS then and now..
I’m not sure this was such a bad car, as it was– wrong place (in the Lincoln Mercury showroom), wrong time (when the two-door market was beginning its decline, in conjunction with the explosion of SUV’s). I always kind of liked the swoopy looks and sporty persona. There even were a few built which were breathed on by Roush. This looks like a nice example, for very little money.
Have you ever worked on one Bob?
Appears you have some experience with these. What are the issues? A negative comment without backup doesn’t add much.
There’s something about those front seats that look like aftermarket seat covers. Notice that string hanging down? Looks like something to tie the cover to the seatback.
Would you look at that! I mentioned this generation of Cougar and how it looked like a Probe in the Probe discussion from last week, and here one is!
Thanks for the write-up Jeff, and for digging this one up, Curvette.
That guy is a Philadelphia treasure.
I honestly don’t know much about this, but I love this meme!
The Mazda wiring harness crumbles,the fuel pump was redesigned and you had to modify the inside of the fuel tank to make it work are a couple things that come to mind..
I love these for being the spiritual bloodline to the Ford Probe. Wiring & electrical is a big issue on these as is the automatic transmission. My uncle, lifelong gearhead & master mechanic said when I considered one of these. You wouldn’t catch me driving one of these past 100k miles. Up til that point, they might be tolerable, but you’ll spend every cent you make fixing it after that. Run away he said. lol while I respected his immense knowledge, I’ve never been one to learn from others. Have to live it myself. All that to say, I still want one of these at some point. Would totally scoop this up if I had the cash.
My dad’s last car was a 96′ Cougar XR7. He got that after the 94′ one got totaled. It wasn’t a bad car but it was terrible in the snow, even with the traction control option. I remember hearing the talk of the new down sized, revamped Cougar before it was released. Being a lover of the first gen. Cougars I was looking forward to it sort of returning to it’s roots from a size standpoint. Have to admit I was disappointed in the overall styling after seeing it. Just didn’t do anything for me and sort of looked generic.