Mercury was an early entry in the “pony car” scene, entering the market in 1967 with the Cougar. It gave Ford Motor Co. two players, the other being the pioneering Mustang. The car led Mercury sales for several years and stuck around through the turn of the century. The 8th and final generation was in production from 1999 to 2002, including the seller’s well-heeled 2000 edition. Located northeast of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this modern survivor is priced in Cheap Wheels territory at $3,275 here on craigslist. Another tip brought to us by Mitchell G.!
The reworked 1999 Cougar was the car’s first (and only) front-wheel drive iteration. It shifted from the personal luxury vehicle it had morphed into — to the product now as a 3-door sport compact. It was unlike previous Mercury offerings and didn’t attract the following the company had hoped for and was discontinued at the end of the 2002 model year. Sales were promising in 1999 at 88,000 copies, but dropped to 45,000 in 2000, 25,000 in 2001, and just 18,000 at the end of the road.
Here we have a low mileage (38,000) 2000 Cougar with the optional 2.5-liter Duratec V6 that should produce 170 hp. It’s paired with Ford’s CD4E automatic transmission and we’re told this automobile runs and drives excellently. The seller doesn’t go into any history on this car, such as how it managed to cover just 1,500 miles a year from new. The tires have lots of tread left, so at least they have been changed over the duration.
From what we can tell, the body, paint, and interior present flawlessly. You don’t see many of these Mercury’s running around anymore, and the brand has been an orphan for the past 14 years. If you only have a small budget for a second or third car, could this “cat” fill the void?
I was working for a Lincoln Mercury dealer in Peabody Ma when the first one got delivered. It rolled off the truck at night, pretty sure it was a purple one and it looked like a spaceship under lights of the dealership. I figured it would do well, but no. Still looks cool to me.
Coworker had one I asked him how he liked it he said he really enjoyed driving it and it made a very comfortable long distance cruising car. 🐈
Correct me if I’m right, but I believe these were based on the Ford Probe of the time, the Probe being a fairly decent seller too.
Based on the Probe, which in turn was based on a Mazda platform.
Very nice cars, at least when new. Though I prefer the Probe’s exterior design, this looks tempting.
I think the Mazda version was the MX-6. Of course these have a much sportier body.
Not a Cougar. I wonder if it would have done any better if they had named it something else. Although by the time this car rolled off the line how many people remembered what the original was like? I suppose if you could make a Cougar four door and wagon then why not? I agree the Probe was sharp, no pun intended, and it almost became the new Mustang. Shudder.
I actually want a Cougar wagon just because it’s a Cougar wagon. I’ve only ever seen one for sale and that was probably 10+ years ago.
The new Mustang should have been called the Galax-E. Ford marketing really missed a golden opportunity on that one.
I used to work with a woman who had one and she put 250k on it without issues. These are not bad cars – styling is hit or miss
I liked the 2000 Cougar not for it’s quirky styling but because I loved the dash board layout.i thought it was the coolest. This is a nice example for the money given it’s FW drivetrain. Someone is going to get a very good deal.