My head gasket blew at 60,000 miles.
Luckily it was covered by my warranty and didn't cost me a thing. Again, later at 99,500 miles, my heater core went out, and needed to be replaced.
Seats (leather) wears heavily on driver side.
Plastic molds under the seats seem to be the cheapest available.
Door handles broke on both sides.
The V6 is proven to be a worthy engine lately giving no faults whatsoever.
However it badly deserved a turbo for it has poor acceleration-especially during take off.
Expected 0-60: 10.5 seconds and 1/4 miles: 18.0 seconds.
Top speed is well over 125 miles per hour however-trust me I know ;-)
As for handling, it hangs with the best of sports cars.
A definite big plus is the fact that it is rear-wheel drive.
A bargain priced "sporty" vehicle.
Well when I bought mine it had a bad oil leak, but I got it fixed (the oil pan gasket came out of the oil pan) it cost me $ 500. but I like the car I have plenty of power out of the v8 engine. my cougar is actually a head turner in the older community. I noticed some oxidation on the roof, but that's not a problem that a good buff job can't fix. I like the room on the inside its not too big, but I can fit my 2 car seats in back with out moving my seat forward.
Has anybody else had a problem with the paint jobs on these car? I have a 93 cougar that I bought from an elder lady, and the paint peels like a Fruit Roll-up.
Performance-wise, I like this car. It's a lot more fun to drive than FWD, but then again, I like pulling kiddies in the snow :).
Leather seats are always a plus, and it also has a Key less Entry System.
The paint on my 94 has a few flaws as well. The performance from the 4.6 V8 is unbelievable.
My head gasket went out at 82,000 miles. It is my understanding that head gaskets are a problem on 3.8 L engine. Unfortunately, they told me there is no recall on the 93 Cougar so I got stuck with the bill around $1,000. My friend has a 95 Thunderbird that blew its head gasket and they covered the whole thing. I believe the 94 Thunderbird was also covered. Needless to say, I was not very satisfied with the way they handled this problem. Otherwise, have been happy with the car. Only other real problem the brakes and rotors need replacing with only 26,000 miles on them because they were so cheap. Feb, 2003.
Hey. I've got a '93 black XR-7 with black interior. I love her to death. Although, I've been told that the paint jobs on all '93 Cougars and Thunderbirds were horrible. My 5.0L V8 gives me quite a bit of power. Needless to say, I really need a paint job. I was also thinking about tinting some windows, putting on a 'Tornado' and maybe some Flowmasters. If I had the money, I'd drop in a 351. PS, has anyone else with a '93 had a problem with the ABS pumping system?
I have a 1993 Cougar XR7 with the 3.8 engine. I had to change the head gasket at 85 000 miles. Other than that I have only done regular maintenance to the car and it has treated me very well. The paint on my cougar is very bad and it is starting to rust, and that v6 could of used a little more power because I think that engine is gutless especially for the size and weight of the car.
My 1993 Cougar XR-7 3.8L
problems: thermostat housing leaking, head gaskets have been done 2 times its at 291,000 kms. It also has a rod knock typical of the 3.8L, you would think something so gutless would not get a knock like that. Drivers seat motor, and the leather is starting to wear bad. Factory ball-joints seized up, changed to Moog what a difference.
I own a '97 Mercury Cougar. I love the car to death because of it's great get up and go. But I'm starting to have problems and wonder if it's the beginning.
First, my car would shut off while I was driving leaving me frantically trying to steer it out of the way. It hasn't done it in a while, but it still frightens me.
Second, my electrical functions in the driver's side door have begun to quit: mirror motor, window motor, and lock motor.
Then, the motor on the passenger side quit working.
I have problems with my paint job too, but will fix this on my own.
And finally, my odometer has quit.
I love my car and want to keep it for a while, but I don't have the money to sink into it. Will I keep having problems, do I need to put her down?
I just got my 93 Cougar it has a 3.8 liter in it and it is the best car I have ever owned.
Power drivers seat power windows, powerlocks, power mirrors,it it drives like a cadalac and looks great.
Awesome Car!!!
I own a 93 cougar with a 3.8 v6.I bought it with 129k miles and am now at 131k. I love it to death. the only things I've fixed are, replacing the thermostat, no big deal it's a 5 dollar fix, and the alignment, that was my fault, I hit a curb. as far as the engine goes I have had no problems. it does leak a little oil, but it still runs safe level. the transmission is a 4 speed auto. for a car with this mileage, the transmission is in great working order. the cooling system is all new ford parts. no head gasket problems, and I hope it stays that way. As far as power, the 3.8 starts and runs strong. the idle seems low, but I'm going to fix that. As far as bodywork, the only complaint I have is rust, but I noticed that all of the 93's of the Cougar and Thunderbird rust in the same place. so it's not my fault. I'm going to fix that and paint it. Its white now, I'm thinking black with silver ghost flame. I do see some electrical problems, before I put in new speakers and a head unit, I noticed that when I turned the wheel the radio died. The most recent problem is that the engine temp gauge goes up to the red and the check engine light goes on, but it isn't overheating, it blows no fluid and makes no noise. As soon as it gets to the red, the needle drops to cold and the car stops putting out heat (through the heater) and I only get cold air. The a/c works fine, its winter so I don't need it. All the lights work, but it does have that yellowing problem with the headlamps. As far as the interior goes, all of the switches work, the interior lights are bright and working. The electric seats work, but the leather is wearing on the drivers side, but hey I don't care. all in all, the car may be a little old, but it's fast, its quiet and it beats those little compact cars easy. despite the little things I think anyone who owns a cougar of this vintage knows, they run great and keep going. I would rather keep fixing and upgrading this car then sell it. I love it and always will. I fix it for fun so I don't pay much when I do have it fixed. As far as power the 3.8 fuel injection is plenty (burnouts on demand) if I ever want v8 power all I need is a 4 barrel carb and the supercharger (available in the soupercoupe) a version of the cougar and Thunderbird marketed for power. I accept that older cars need more work, to me the work I do on my cougar is just exploiting the potential this car has to live on. The body of my car is solid and the blemishes are easily fixed. I love the Cougar and believe Ford should re-release it with retro styling (mandatory rear drive) these new sport compact Cougars are not reminiscent of their muscle car roots.
My cougar did the same thing with the temperature gauge. I found out 2 weeks later the head gasket blew because my Cougar died, the engine was warped so I got it rebuilt and everything replaced under the hood, new alt, ac compressor, pulleys, EGR valve, water pump. You Name it, its been replaced, but get that temperature gauge checked out before the Cougar goes crazy, if its not too late you can still fix it.
Hey looks like I'm not the only one that loves my '93 cougar. I got it at around 150,000 miles and the biggest promblems I've had is no ac, and some of the electrical is starting to malfunction. Now it has almost 180,000, the car was wrecked at around 130,000 miles and you can't even tell. the paint has been changed to a white with a gold pearl, to be honest I'm not to fond of the color. Anyways my car will still burn out on demand. (speaking of which I need new tires.) The head gasket did go out at around 80,000 miles. Oh yeah this car has been in the family since 1995. Other than a few rattles created by my sub-woofer the car has held up well and I'm proud of her.
I have a 93 cougar xr7 3.8l 160,000 miles, engine has never been touched. Uses no oil or antifreeze. Everthing on the car still works perfect except the power sunroof is a little rough opperating. The only problem I have with the paint is where the hood got buckled in an accident. The car was never garaged or parked for the winter so the rockers are shot and it needs new bushings in the front end. It has been a very good and dependable car. However I can only get 23 mpg out of a gutless 3.8 L that's highway whether you drive 60 or 90 mph or anywhere in between. It has been used for emergencey trips to the hospital and will do well over 125 mph.
I have had my 94 Cougar 3.8 since 2000. The car was reliable and quite dependable until about six months ago. The odometer has hit about 91k and now I have endless problems with the electrical system (radio works when it feels like it) clock resets every time I open the fuel door. The cooling fan only works when the AC is turned on, and now I have problems with overheating, running rough and generally being a hateful car. I hate to say it, but I think the Cougar is on it's way out. Be careful if you have the 3.8. Get the head gaskets checked and keep your eye on the electrical system. Aside from that I really love my Cougar.
I have a 93' Cougar since April 06' and I love it. However I have had many problems with her. I understand she's an old car, don't get me wrong she's lots of power left in her and most of her electrical treats still work, but she's been trouble since I got her. I had temp sensor problems and I got the head gasket fixed ($1000.). The she began overheating again thermostat ($5.) was replaced, than the water pump ($80.) died, got that replaced. Now the front end and rear suspension is going ($1500). Needless to say didn't do the suspensions yet, but I love her so I will try to get a better estimate on that problem. Outside of all the problems she's roomy, power everything, peppy, and very comfortable. It's like drivin my couch down the road at 75 mph even with the suspension problems. Oh yeah she makes all kinds of crazy noises, which I was told was the cat converter on its way out ($500.). I still love her and will probably fix anything at this point cause shes my baby!!!