Faults:

Worst car I've ever owned. Alternator, just multiple electrical problems.

Turn signal; had to rubber band relay to new assembly.

Road noise vibration, thank god it doesn't have a sun roof.

If you accelerate hard, the car behaves like it is running out of gas. When you get it started, it will act like it's out of gas and sputter for miles if not days.

Trunk windows don't work, cupholders.

Chews through tires even when babied.

Blower motor heat out, repaired multiple times.

Loose front end.

Leaks fluids.

Drains batteries, ruins batteries, electrical problems.

Am/FM has never worked on radio. Replaced under warranty.

General Comments:

This car looks nice.

The weakest vehicle if ever driven very slow though. High on insurance; my 1983 Rabbit is way faster than this thing, and it only cost 600 bucks, never breaks and is cheap/ easy to repair.

The only people who think this car is fast and handles good, are people I wouldn't trust with a car that is fast and handles good.

Resale value is pathetic, it's more worth it to me to watch this car burn or get crushed than what I could sell it for.

Faults:

Alternator -- This is a common problem with this car, it's located next to the exhaust manifold. It's tucked in behind the engine, down low. It gets cooked from the heat and splashed with water. It's difficult to remove, which means a big labor bill to replace.

Check Engine Light -- Bad Catalytic converter. I had the computer reprogrammed (flashed) to an updated spec.

Lights would flicker -- Another common problem -- Ford has a service bulletin, cheap, easy fix. Did it myself.

General Comments:

This is a good looking, sporty and fun car to drive. I would recommend the 6 cylinder over the 4. The 6 cyl. will get you good gas mileage (26 MPG), and provide decent acceleration. My Cougar is almost 10 years old but still fits in with the newer style cars -- it doesn't look dated.

There are definitely some common problems with this year Cougar.

Alternator -- see above.

Sunroof -- 1999-2000 years had plastic tracks and parts that would break. The 01, 02 Cougar had metal tracks -- much better.

Flickering lights -- see above.

Rear hatch doesn't open properly.

Rough idle -- Moosing sound -- Replace idle air control valve -- Easy fix!!

Cup holder will spill hot coffee in your lap!!

Not much room in the back seat for more than a kid. I'm 6 '2" and I fit just fine in the drivers seat, even with the sunroof. Car has a hard sporty ride, handles great. A lot of road noise in the cabin -- it's not a Cadillac. This is a great first car for a teen. You can get one in good shape for a great deal since they are not to popular. Plenty of info on the net to deal with the common problems. Consider the 01, 02 model, Factory has fixed many common problems including the cup holder!!

Faults:

I bought the car in May of 08. I had wrecked my Cavalier at Christmas, and had only been allowed to start driving again in April.

When I got it, I had to fix some minor things in it, no big deal. Someone had tried unsuccessfully to cut the cat con out.

In the beginning I was pretty excited. The car is what you would consider fully loaded, the whole nine yards. It was by far the nicest car I had ever owned.

In July, on a weekend trip, the transmission slipped and quit working, with no warning. I managed to get it home, only to have it sit in the basement for two months.

After two new sensors, and almost a hundred dollars, my father finally admitted it was the trans, and we couldn't fix it. So we paid a local auto repair shop to do it, because the dealer tried to screw us once we had the car up there. That visit to the dealership still cost me 150, not counting the gas to haul a car there and back.

The local auto shop was honest and up front, a first, and charged us 3050, removal, installation, and Ford re-manufactured transmission with 100k or three year warranty. I wasn't taking chances.

As I was driving it home, the alternator went out. To have that fixed, 340, not counting the gas to take it up and back.

I've had the car for not even three hundred miles, and I've already put more into the car than I paid for it.

If this is how it's going to be, then I'm getting rid of this car. The only good thing about it is the previous owner replaced the engine, so it's pretty new. So I guess I practically have a new car between the trans and engine.

The body is in fantastic shape, and the exterior is perfect. Cosmetically it's superb, but so far, mechanically, it's lacking.

General Comments:

As far as how it drives and handles, I love it. I love everything about the car except the cost of all the parts.