Looking beyond the front-end damage on this 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7, I’m envisioning what was once a truly beautiful pony car, likely somebody’s pride and joy before the inconceivable happened. Whatever took place remains a mystery, as the seller offers no explanation for how this one went from a top-tier example to having a salvage title, so there’s obviously a considerable amount of work ahead for the next owner to properly get this poor feline back on the road. If you’ve got the talent and are up for the task, this one’s in Granite City, Illinois, and can be spotted here on eBay. The buy-it-now price is set at $16,900, but the seller also included a make-offer button, which was probably a wise decision. Curvette, thanks a lot for the tip here!
With so little information provided, this is a situation where the photos will have to tell most of the story. Obviously, the front section speaks for itself and will require extensive parts and repairs. Thankfully, the panels from the doors back might be OK, but it’s unknown what type of damage the frame sustained at the time of impact. The title status isn’t exactly encouraging, and with no pictures showing from below, I probably wouldn’t get my hopes up that the frame escaped unscathed. There’s also no word on the extent of restoration this Mercury received prior to the crash, but overspray is visible on the data plate, so it’s definitely had some paint work in the past.
The owner reports that the XR7 is powered by a 351 V8 and that the car lot drives, though no further information is shared regarding the engine, transmission, or any other mechanical components. It’s a positive that no parts appear to have been borrowed from under the hood since the crash, and I speculate this one was probably a good runner before the accident. Hopefully, the engine didn’t sustain any significant damage, and perhaps it will be only a small part of the puzzle to get this car functional again.
Some good news is that it does not appear the interior suffered at all, as there’s very little in here that looks like it currently needs much attention. However, with the totaled title, it might make more sense to put the salvageable items from both the inside and out onto a different Cougar. Ultimately, that’ll all be up to the next owner to decide, and I’m curious to hear what our readers have to say about that. Is this 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 a desirable project, or is it ultimately better suited for a parts car?
SMDH
What does “SMDH” mean? Some of us who are older than Baby Boomers need to see the ACTUAL WORDS, please. Thanks!
Shaking My Damn Head. I had to ask my wife. I’m 71
Shaking My Damn Head. I had to ask my wife, I’m 71😁
I thought it was a nasty phrase. (I need to get my mind out of the gutter!)
definitely a fixer the damage isn’t that bad
The hardest part of fixing that is finding the parts.
As long as no real bad frame damage looks like a nice ride. Most likely in my opinion the seller has alot of money into it and just does not want to pour some more into it so the seller wants to cut their losses. Thats what I think..
Too much money for a parts car, that’s for sure. My first thought was that the damage wasn’t fatal but, it got totaled for a reason. A thorough exam and a lower price are both required.
Sure, it’s fixable, but at what price? This dealer has been featured on this site several times prior, everything they have listed seems way overpriced, which is common practice for many dealers.
Steve R
Well…I guess I’m old & cheap. From reading only this write up & comments, $16,900 for a wrecked car with a salvage title seems way too high. From the few pics here, it looked (past tense) like the car might have been in good shape to an expensive restoration job. There is no seller’s effort of details as how much work is needed, only 1 pic of damage. As another comment states, the seller is a dealer, so I’d guess they got car cheap from the insurance company that wrote it off. If dealer selling, they probably realize alot more damage & cost to repair correctly then a few pics would show. So they are selling….ops flipping this wrecked, salvage titled car for a hell of a lot of money!
Looking at the top of the fender and lower down it appears pink under the paint, bondo body filler? I imagine the entire car could probably have a light coat of filler on the body and sanded to smooth out the panels then painted when it was originally restored.
thats how todays ” bodymen ” do repairs . no one has the skill to work metal , anymore .
From the provided photos if I had the replacement parts on hand I could have it back on the road in a weekend and it would give me time to think about a possible color change
A lot of things were changed on this car prior to the accident. It was originally Medium Gold Metallic with a painted white roof. The interior was originally nugget gold. A rear spoiler has been added. The door and quarter glass has been changed to the 1970 glass. The price is way too high for what it is. For me the price would have to be cut in half to make any sense.
Here’s a sad deal, front end damage is 99% the fault of the driver. I don’t understand why this car was totaled, heck, I’d drive like it is. Pretty sure this person bought the car back from the ins. with a salvage title,(?) not the end of the world, but does complicate matters. They must have cleaned up the vomit, because this would make me sick.
For the record, that’s a bad spot and could very well bent the frame. And front end parts are probably rare, but can be found. They were such nice cars, but a momentary lapse in reason, BAM!
Insurance companies will 90% of the time total loss a car over 6 years old. Even with relatively minor damage.
You are talking about regular insurance companies, classic car insurers are different. And in my state you can get a rebuilt title and get rid of the salvage one
Some one out there knows how this happened.
Haggerty insurance has an optional clause that if totalled, the owner gets the car back. He probably sold it to the dealer because it wasn’t worth fixing.
Salvage title on this beautiful car is a deal breaker for sure.
The listing on eBay ended yesterday with no purchase. I had an accident a few years ago with my 66 F-100 pickup similar to this but on the right side. I replaced the bumper, fender with new parts, readily available from LMC Truck. The grille was expensive but I found a good used one for about $300. Parts totaled about $1000, body shop paint for the fender $400 to match color. I did my own disassembly and assembly. The new bumper was much heavier duty than the old one too. I ended up making a little money on the insurance settlement. I don’t know if parts are reproduced for this car, but it looks like worth saving if seller cuts price. How to change the salvage title so it could be driven? State inspection?
Tell me you don’t know cougars without telling me you don’t know cougars.
No frame boys! Unibody with some short frame rail pieces that look like frame but not. With the damage shown and where it’s at this UNIBODY car could be twisted bad and thats why it was totalled.
This car is WAY overpriced. It should be selling for $3,500 to $5,000 and yes I’m going to get,,,,but just this part is worth this and that part is worth that and all of that may be why this nut has this for sale forso much, but who wants to buy a car, part it all out and say you made a profit when you didn’t and the hassle of doing it is unreal.
I love cougars. I have had atleast a dozen in my life and I’m looking for another now but this car is not one I’d buy unless I was there and could take it to a body shop so they could access the damage to its unibody because if it is bent all you guys should know a unibody is hard to get back straight. I’m not saying it can’t be done I’m saying its expensive and you better have a good shop that knows how to fix them.
I hope someone buys it and puts it back on the road. They’re not making them anymore.
I have owned Chrysler products with unibody and have had worse damage and they where fixed.. Whoever owned this car did not have a clue or had the wrong insurance, most classic insurance companies would have fixed it because they know the value.
dealer sells mostly totaled vehicles. title is now branded as such. imo this is a parts car but an expensive 1 at that. this has been for sale for a while. no surprise at that price
What insurance company had this car ? I would have asked why a salvage title. Could not read the add because it expired, to bad.
Auction expired, but at bottom click on “see original listing” and it will show up.
Don’t forget about the body damage in the rear, the spoiler !
Something not sitting right with me about it being totaled.
If subframe is OK a rust free front clip and new paint is the prescription.
Even if they had to replace subframe not that big of a deal.
Jeez Richard. Subframe?
I built a ’64 Fairlane Thunderbolt clone.
a few years back, on the way home from a car show, it rear ended a raised Toyota pickup who made an unexpected stop.
The good news was that the dock bumper missed the front bumper but took out the grill through both front fenders, headlights etc. Insurance totaled it because there were no parts readily available and few body shops that were capable of pounding out the dents.
It was a matter of expediency, not the degree of damage. I acquired original parts and happy to say it is once again back on the road.
This may well be the case for the Cougar.
If you know where to look you can find these parts, takes time but they are out there.
This why I have classic car insurance on my classic, they understand these cars and most normal insurance don’t.
Too pricey, kinda, with the damage, and does not look like a salvage by any means. Looks like you could drive it up to the donor in a junk yard, switch out the parts and drive it to the paint shop. Something I have done.
Also a lot more posts for this one than most, so it should sell.
It said that they pulled the add so maybe it solid locally
SOLD, It only looks to be from the shock tower forward, side panel and may not even involve the lower frame and lower radiator support. This would be a fun fix, unlike when my 64 1/2 stang was tebonned not frame severe but nothing bolt on to fix, door maybe.
This listing was ended by the seller on Fri, May 22 at 11:50 AM because the item is no longer available. Probably sold
Car is relisted. Same price
https://www.ebay.com/itm/198373735530?itmmeta=01KSDAVSBZFY4S0TFKZ28ES79E&hash=item2e2ffefc6a:g:bQ0AAeSw~9BqENlC
This listing ended on Mon, Jun 1 at 3:32 PM.
Yeah, not sure why so many people here miss the statement that the seller ended the sale.
OK .. I have extensive experience with these having owned quite a lot over the years and 3 perfect examples from 1970 in my garage right now .. Cougars have what is known as a Unibody ( the subframe and body are welded together ) which means it is not as strong as todays frames – usually with any addition to say , horsepower , there will be sub frame connectors added to strengthen that , and some even sway bars front and back to help with handling ..In any case I would add them anyhow , just for added strength . With this car it appears to have hit a pole by the look of the damage . Insurance companies are quick to write cars off no matter what year they are as it is money to them . I could write a book on that matter , but not here .. This one I suspect was an auction salvage buy but the ad does not state that . The original Ebay ad I have seen . The parts to fix this are available . To make a proper assessment I would need to see it in person but this seller is asking WAY too much , not surprising .. Perhaps some knob was doing something stupid and paid the price here with this accident .This looks like a parking lot pole , like in front of Walmarts – But , if the subframe is bent ( it should be looked at by pros who know what they are doing ) , and determine if it is fixable . The concern I have is the gaps on the front end , the driver door ( the ad did not show a photo of the passenger side door closed interestingly ) , the roof is ok by look of it , but the trunk deck lid is out too , under the tail ( may just be a bumper adjustment there ) . Someone mentioned Bondo or F/g in panels . possible or may have been a primer of some sort pre paint ..which was not done properly as there is overspray on places – a simple tap test will tell for sure – To close , the interior looks ok , the hood may be fixable , and a fair amount of corner pieces grill, bumper , valance , likely head lamp housing , front fender ( may be able to find that other ways than new ) , plus a frame straightening if needed , and other parts not known yet .. that is going to cost a fair amount and the asking price for this is rediculous . people can but their written off vehicles back and have them repaired , with proof , can be re-saftied to the owner to insure again . but it has to pass that test first .. This one , with proper mechanical fortitude , could possibly be on the road again . If I was to try to buy this one , alot of questions need to be answered first , then a look at the damage and the rest of the car including underside , assess what it would cost , verses the purchase price based on that . I sure would not pay this price for this car
Don, at 71, you’re still a YOUNGSTER! When were you born: 1954? 1955? You couldn’t play a popular hit song from 1946-1955 that I wouldn’t know. (smile). I have so many favourites from those years! One record came out in 1954 to little notice. One side was “Thirteen Women (and Only One Man in Town)”, which garnered some airplay in 1954. “The other side was, “Rock Around the Clock” which re-cycled its break from one of Bill Haley’s earlier records. Little did we know then, that “Rock Around the Clock” would become a monster-hit nearly a year later, after being included in the movie, “Blackboard Jungle”. So, whether you were born in 1954 or 1955, I gotcha COVERED with that record!
Looks to have been a pretty nice ride before the wreck. Appears to be mostly sheet metal damage. Some small parts may be a challenge to find but a project where you’d have a sweet ride at the end.
Does this Barn Find listing now hold the title of
Most replies ?
Not even close.
Yes Kirk, it is Ford uni body, same a Falcon for god sake. Not a bolt on sub frame. Pricey yes, still very fixable.
How do you protect your classic car today with all the bad drivers on the road today? I see so many cars with this same damage.You can’t repair them without replacement parts and that’s the hard part. Someone did the same damage to my 1990 Lexus and I can’t find the parts to repair it.
It’s back again. Same price
https://www.ebay.com/itm/198397852238?itmmeta=01KT73TH7Q876C8K06SH1CRDKZ&hash=item2e316efa4e:g:bQ0AAeSw~9BqENlC
Sure is a pretty car. Too bad that this happened to it.