1998 Mercury Cougar review from North America
"Nice, but unreliable with costly repairs"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
My 1999 Cougar was bought used with 15,000 miles on it in January 2001.
I did not have any problems for a year after I got it. I had all of the
recalls taken care of and then my engine light came on and stayed on.
I took it in to have it worked on
and tested. They said a fuse had blown and I payed $160 for it because it was not covered under the
extended warranty.
When I got in my car to leave, the
light was still on. Then they told me something was causing the fuse to blow. WELL DUH.
A couple of weeks later the coolant light came on. The car ran fine so I did not worry about it.
Then today at about 31,500 miles I was driving near the dealership when my
battery light came on. I figured since I was right there I would take it in and show them. I did and
they thought it was either my battery or the alternator. They said they checked the alternator, but
I don't think they did. The battery was dead and was a cold start. They wanted to charge me $115 for a new
one with installation. I said hell no and got a battery myself somewhere else. The catch is, after I
got the new battery, all of the lights that were on before, including the battery light were still on. I
am taking it back to the dealership tomorrow.
Amanda.
General comments?
I like the car a lot. I had wanted one since they first came out. But, I am really getting tired of messing with it.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 4 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 2 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 15000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 31500 miles |
| Date of Entry | 3rd December, 2002 |