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Owned 30 Years: 1967 Mercury Cougar

I’ve just returned from a trip to Tennesee and as always, the old car spotting didn’t disappoint. There’s gold in them there hills is an appropriate turn of phrase for this part of the USA as there’s seemingly an old car always hiding in plain sight. This forgotten 1967 Mercury Cougar resides in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, where it has clearly been parked up for some time. The seller claims it was running when he parked it there eons ago, which begs the question as to why it was parked in the first place. The Cougar can be found here on Facebook Marketplace with an asking price of $2,600.

This was such a great era for the Cougar, as it still looked like a proper muscle car despite the attempts to classify it as a more luxurious offering. The hideaway headlights are my favorite detail, and I’m sure many others agree. The wheels – are they Keystones? – give the Cougar a more athletic appearance than the hubcaps it would have possibly come with and shockingly, it appears the tires still hold air. The glass is also still intact, all of which suggests this Cougar project enjoys some level of privacy in this Chattanooga suburb.

The seller includes one lone picture of the interior, which shows the typical automatic transmission and bucket seats. It largely appears to be in good condition, with no evidence of any pillaging taking place, which hopefully indicates the Cougar was never used as someone’s parts car. The dash pad is likely cracked but the dash itself looks reasonably sound with small details like the vent surrounds still attached. The steering wheel may be an aftermarket replacement, so between that and the wheels, some personalization attempts have been made. Did those efforts extend to the drivetrain?

Hard to say as we don’t have any under-hood pictures, but one can reasonably assume the changes are surface-level only. The seller notes it has a 289 under the hood, and that’s about it. The trunk appears to still wear an old dealer badge, one of the few details that have survived on the exterior surfaces given all of the original paint is long gone. The bumpers still look straight front and rear and the same goes for the iconic taillights. The Cougar is a major undertaking but I don’t see any major rot, at least not on the exposed surfaces. Is this forgotten Cougar worthy of a rescue?

Comments

  1. Avatar RoughDiamond

    Pretty cool with what looks like period correct Keystones. I’m an early ’67-’68 Mercury Cougar enthusiast and this is a 45 minute drive for me and no way would I waste time looking at it.

    Like 11
  2. Avatar Steve Clinton

    “Remember man that you are rust, and unto rust you shall return.”

    Like 1
  3. Avatar Bill W.

    Finally, a big project with a price that isn’t done money. If I wanted it, I’d check underneath. If it’s solid, I’d make an offer.

    Like 5
  4. Avatar fran

    Cheap car will not be for long if restored. I guess they can be rough even in a practically salt free state. When we were looking for a house in the Knoxville area, we were on a back road somewhere and there were 3 Cougars just sitting, at quick driveway glance, they looked to be in good condition. Could not find them today as everywhere we went I could not figure N, S, E or W.

    SO sad it seems that in the Knox/Blount county areas, there is not much to find.

    Like 1
  5. Avatar AndyinMA

    The Titanic also ran when parked

    Like 8
  6. Avatar Danny

    The titanic also continues to pay big bucks since parked. Look at the market place for those items or the millions paid to see it. Same old mindset on here!

    Like 0
  7. Avatar jwaltb

    Hahaha. Parts car.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Mike Hawke

    owned 30 years too long

    Like 1
  9. Avatar CATHOUSE

    This is just a plain jane standard Cougar. The only possible option that I can see is A/C. Without knowing the VIN, the door data plate codes, and/or a Marti report it is hard to say exactly how this Cougar left the factory. The front seats and the console are not original to this car. The seats are later model highbacks and the console is from a 1971-1973 Mustang or Cougar. The seats probably came out of the same car. Without knowing a whole lot more about this car there is no way that I would pay anywhere near the asking price.

    Like 2
  10. Avatar Danny

    2600 dollars is cheap! These cars are basically gone, gone, gone! The majority on here still talking like they are back in the 20th century, and these cars are a dime a dozen, and value is still from that time period. Geez wake up!

    Like 0
    • Avatar CATHOUSE

      Sorry Danny, but based upon the very limited amount of information and photos supplied by the seller this car is not worth anywhere near the $2600 asking price. If the seller thinks that this car is worth that amount then they are going to have to put a lot more time and effort into their ad to prove that it is worth that amount. I deal in these cars and their parts. As such I am very well aware of what parts are sellable and what they are worth. From what I see in this ad a person could not part this car out and come out ahead money wise. And for the record I also am very much aware that this is 2022 and not 1980.

      Like 2
  11. Avatar Danny

    Cathouse, have you ever heard someone say’ if I new my old muscle car would be worth current prices, I would have kept it, or bought a dozen more and put them away, I would be well off now’! That is the point here, you see what you want to see instead of having enough vision to see what these cars are going to be worth, as time moves on. 2600 dollars today, tomorrow 5200 hundred etc., because they will no longer exist! I promise you in 5 years, someone will see this very same car and swear 5 years ago I could have got the same car for half the price. I hear that statement all the time on here. Cathouse you did make the comment you were aware of the current year, but your still light years behind the curve. Take care,

    Like 1
    • Avatar bone

      in 5 years even less of this car will be there . This isnt a muscle car ,its a pony car, and no where near as popular as its pony car sister, the Mustang . If it was a car that was more in demand, it would command a high price . This is just a run of the mill Cougar with few ,if any options, its been beat on ,modified, and then left to the elements for (supposedly ) 30 years . At best ,its a parts car. It will never be restored .You could have purchased two restored Cougars for the money you’d be putting into this heap, and it still wouldn’t be finished.

      Like 1
      • Avatar Danny

        Bone, this car will not be available in 5 mo let alone5 years! Check out Fran’s response above, regarding finding these older cars. Comparing contrasting any of these classics as an investment regarding value does matter, however when it comes to rarity everything has an up value regardless, and that is what you have taking place in the market today.

        Like 0
    • Avatar CATHOUSE

      Yes Danny, I have heard that saying many times. I have heard it said about cars, antiques, and many forms of collectibles. The problem with that line of thinking though is IF we did know then what we know now and we all had put those items aside for future value we would be greatly disappointed. The market would be flooded with low mileage excellent condition cars and they would not bring near the money that they do today. Imagine if every Hemi car, COPO Chevy, Boss Mustang, or (insert your favorite model here) still existed in perfect pristine condition. Do you think that they would bring anywhere near the price that they do today? I doubt it. So the could’a, would’a should’a idea is meaningless.

      Another problem with your statement is that if things keep going the way they are in 5 years we will be lucky if $5200 buys the same amount of value that $2600 buys today.

      If you think that this car is such a great deal then why don’t you buy it, store it, and then in 5 years put it back up for sale? If in 5 years this car is in the same condition that it currently is in it will not gain any value. I will stick with my original statement, this car is not worth the asking price. If you feel differently go ahead and buy it.

      Like 1
      • Avatar Danny

        Cathouse, thank you for the indepth response to my previous post. I do agree with the statement, regarding if we new what the value would be of certain items from back when, the market today would be flooded with those items. That is the point, we did not know, but now we do, regarding many items from the past, especially when it comes to this current market place, of classic cars. The given is you are talking about a limited amount of survivors, very rare automobiles, with numbers shrinking daily. The numbers by themselves, guarantee over saturation of the market place will not take place, aka look at the prices. Please remember Econ 101, dictates supply and demand guides the market. In this case, supply is low and will continuing shrinking, and the demand is high and will continue to grow, basic economics.
        Regarding the purchasing of these classics, I do all the time! I wish I had more storage space, and actually looking to build more INSIDE storage to house more of these cars while available. Currently, I do have cars under full restoration or housed and holding, in various states, for the future.
        There is gold in those fields, but running out very quickly.

        Like 0
      • Avatar CATHOUSE

        Well Danny here is the 64 million dollar question, will the demand for a car such as this Cougar grow? Or will it decrease? I will readily admit that I do not know the answer to these questions. I do however have my opinion and that is that the demand will decrease for a car like this Cougar. I base my opinion on how things seem to work in the collecting world. Most collectors are looking to buy back their youth and they usually get into this market once their kids are grown, or close to it. As an example look at pre WWII cars. A fairly common run of the mill car will not bring the same value as it did a generation ago. This Cougar is just a run of mill 67 and I believe that it will suffer the same fate, especially if it stays in its current condition. Of course this is just my opinion. You and others may disagree with me. Only time will tell who is right.

        Like 1
  12. Avatar Dean Miller

    Shortly after High School (79), I owned a 68 vert. W/289 auto….never put it on the road (needed trans work). Bought it for $800 bucks…without touching it, sold it for $1500 ! Shoulda kept it !

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Danny

    Cathouse, I do believe that cougar will grow in value, based on the market itself and do believe you are comparing oranges to apples.
    There is no way you can compare pre WW II automobiles with the greatest generation of cars to ever roll off the American assembly line! Between the Great Depression and the start of WWII, the common guy on the street could not even afford a car, let alone feed his family buying a car was the last thing on his mind, so that generation really did not place value on a car, nor does the market place, unless you can locate a car produced during the WWII years. Those were produced in limited numbers do to the War effort, and RARE to find. Once again, please key in to the word Rare!
    Fast forward to the 60s and 70s the age of the boomers, where the youth of America had jobs cash in their pockets, and had the need for speed and automobile manufacturers answered the call, by producing the greatest generation of classics to ever grace the American roads, and that included the 67 Cougar!
    Above, I did ask you to remember the KEY word RARE, because this generation of classics are 50 to 62 years old, and disappearing quickly.
    You have to remember the more options one of these rare car has, of course the value will be higher. However, the value will still be in the rarity, even at a bottom level equipped produced car, where buyers at a mid level can afford, and tons of profit exist. I can validate that point day in and out! One major lesson I have learned over time, Is when you acquire knowledge use it! Never ever say again, wish I had known. Take care.

    Like 0
    • Avatar CATHOUSE

      Danny, I am not comparing the actual pre WWII cars to the 60s muscle cars. I am only using the pre war cars as an example of how some segments of the collecting world work. The majority of people who have, or had, an interest in owning a pre war car are those who remember them from their youth. Now many of those people have aged out of the market or passed away. So today many of those pre war cars simply do not bring the money that they once did. Of course there will always be a better market for the rare and classic type pre war cars.

      The same thing is going to happen to the Cougar and most of the other 60s era cars. A person who was able to buy a new car in the 1960s is now at least in their mid 70s, if not over 80. Even those who just remember the cars from their youth are in at least their mid 50s. It will not be that much longer before those who remember the 60s will have aged out of the market as well. Some have passed away. I know quite a few Cougar enthusiasts who are no longer with us. The value of the run of the mill Cougar will decrease just as the pre war cars have done. Again of course there are a few special model Cougars that have a very limited production and they will retain their value.

      Cougars in general are not that rare. If someone wants one they can find a much better car for a better price than the one that this thread is about. Another sign that the car this thread is about is not a very good deal is that it has been on FB for 16 weeks now with no takers. Now using the knowledge that I have acquired over the 40 years of experience I have dealing with Cougars and their parts I will stick with my opinion that this car is not worth the asking price.

      Have a great day. This has been a fun discussion.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Danny

        Cathouse, once again thank you for the response. However, I disagree with your points but do respect your opinion,
        First, Cathouse you have only provided circumstantial evidence, regarding the age out of other generations of classic cars, that does not include the current muscle car industry, in question.
        The current age group you mentioned above regarding the current muscle car industry, have already been their done that 20 years ago! As you once agan mentioned above, that age group is in their 70 and 80s!
        Based on data, via sellers and buyers in this current muscle car (classics), you need to roll back 30 or 40 years! The market has evolved to a new plane of existence, as investment, short and long term. I have been trying to change old mindsets via this forum and others, regarding this new market elevation. Not easy to do, limited success at best.
        Regarding the cougar, once again, I stand by my opinion, based on hard data, and the data does not lie regarding this industry.
        I hate telling people I told you so, but in this case, I can at least say ‘ you did know’. Take care.

        Like 0

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