For Sale Yes, I absolutely would buy this weird Cougar

[tbm3fan]

My youngest son had one of those (not a XR-7) for about a minute. He didn't have much money in it, and grenaded the trans very shortly after buying it. I still have some tail lights he bought for it.

This was a car he dragged home without asking.. He was 17 at the time. This would have been his second or third car he had owned by then.... and I really didn't want another car in the driveway, especially something with questionable mechanics in the middle of a bad winter.

Anyway... the body was just about perfect on the car... Interior was trashed and mechanically it was toast, but the body was nice... and kind of a shame to see it get crushed, so I found a Cougar forum and offered it up for scrap price. I couldn't believe the hate I got for doing that... Not for scrapping a Cougar, but because I had the balls to put a car on their board that wasn't a XR-7. I got a lot of nonsense about how it was worthless... which made no sense to me because all I asked for was what the scrapper would give me and a lot of "what would you expect someone to do with this?" and "what kind of scam are you trying to pull?" and " That isn't an XR-7". Mind you... it wasn't a XR-7 only forum, but holy crap... No one understood the concept of parts car or why it was only $100. Hell, the right person might have gotten the car for free.

So... after a day of that, I just said "FU" to my new Cougar buddies and called the scrap guy.

The tow truck shows up while I was at work, but my son (who was still in high school) had just gotten home when he came. No big deal... usual stuff.. hook up and go. Didn't drop the car (had one guy do that) and all was good. Then my son went out and found the tow truck driver's pistol sitting in the driveway.

I was on my way home by then and he calls me... He had a pretty good idea how to handle it if he had to, but we decided the wisest choice was to wait until I got home, but he would stay there in the driveway with it.

The driver was back and retrieved his pistol just before I got home. I woulda given him a hard time about it and made him show me his CCW before turning it over to him, but obviously my son wasn't gonna do that.

So... There's my Cougar story...

Couldn't have been my Cougar forum which is pretty large and have been on at least since the late 90's. Most on that board have regular Cougars and not an XR7. It is also 67-73 only given the knowledge base and compatibility between them and the 80's is extremely wide.

As far as the car is concerned I prefer the Thunderbird roof line. Doesn't mean that if a nice 302 Cougar dropped into my lap I wouldn't drive it.

 

[Pete Kaczmarski]

Here is a twin to my car. Keep in mind the sportiest T-Bird for 1988 had a turbo four cylinder. The V8 one was a luxury car. My Cougar XR-7 had the 302 V8 dual exhaust, power sunroof, monochromatic paint, and rear spoiler. I like the '87/'88 rear quarter window over the earlier years of the Cougar. I test drove and compared the Mustang GT and Lincoln Mark VII. The cars did not seem that faster than the Cougar to justify the almost 15k more (Mark VII) and mid 20's for the Mustang GT.

 

[commando1]

Couldn't have been my Cougar forum which is pretty large and have been on at least since the late 90's. Most on that board have regular Cougars and not an XR7. It is also 67-73 only given the knowledge base and compatibility between them and the 80's is extremely wide.

As far as the car is concerned I prefer the Thunderbird roof line. Doesn't mean that if a nice 302 Cougar dropped into my lap I wouldn't drive it.

Around 1968/9 (not sure), one of the guys in my small group of very close friends bought a 1 of 10 (documented) Show car XR-7 G with the DSO code of 84 and the R code 428 Ram-air.
He totalled it.....

And finally, if a nice 5 spd Thunderbird SC popped up locally...
I'd have to buy it.

 

[tbm3fan]

Around 1968/9 (not sure), one of the guys in my small group of very close friends bought a 1 of 10 (documented) Show car XR-7 G with the DSO code of 84 and the R code 428 Ram-air.
He totalled it.....

And finally, if a nice 5 spd Thunderbird SC popped up locally...
I'd have to buy it.

The Registry for the 67-68 Dan Gurney option

History – Cougar XR7-G Registry

 

[commando1]

The Registry for the 67-68 Dan Gurney option

History – Cougar XR7-G Registry

YES! I absolutely remember that decal.

 

[oliver]

the last time I commented on a Ford product here, I was told to go join a Ford forum

 

[commando1]

the last time I commented on a Ford product here, I was told to go join a Ford forum

PFFFTTT...
People here have told me worse.

 

[streetmachine]

Here is a twin to my car. Keep in mind the sportiest T-Bird for 1988 had a turbo four cylinder. The V8 one was a luxury car. My Cougar XR-7 had the 302 V8 dual exhaust, power sunroof, monochromatic paint, and rear spoiler. I like the '87/'88 rear quarter window over the earlier years of the Cougar. I test drove and compared the Mustang GT and Lincoln Mark VII. The cars did not seem that faster than the Cougar to justify the almost 15k more (Mark VII) and mid 20's for the Mustang GT.

View attachment 139762

That car you have pictured is the 20th Anniversary Edition. The 302 in both the Cougar and T-Bird were only 150 hp. In '87 the Lincoln Mark VII got the same engine as the Mustang GT which was rated at 225 hp. The pre-87 was around 150 hp. It's weird you couldn't feel the difference but, the Mark the heaviest of all those foxes listed. The other thing is that I'm not sure if you could get the 3.27 gears in the other foxes. I know when you checked off the LSC package for the Mark VII that gave you the 3.27 gears in the axle. The Bill Blass had I believe 3.08s in the rear if not a little higher.

 

[Big_John]

Couldn't have been my Cougar forum which is pretty large and have been on at least since the late 90's. Most on that board have regular Cougars and not an XR7. It is also 67-73 only given the knowledge base and compatibility between them and the 80's is extremely wide.

As far as the car is concerned I prefer the Thunderbird roof line. Doesn't mean that if a nice 302 Cougar dropped into my lap I wouldn't drive it.

This seemed to be a forum that was devoted to the XR7 and later style Cougars.

I'll bet if I looked around for the forum now, it will be gone.

 

[Pete Kaczmarski]

That car you have pictured is the 20th Anniversary Edition. The 302 in both the Cougar and T-Bird were only 150 hp. In '87 the Lincoln Mark VII got the same engine as the Mustang GT which was rated at 225 hp. The pre-87 was around 150 hp. It's weird you couldn't feel the difference but, the Mark the heaviest of all those foxes listed. The other thing is that I'm not sure if you could get the 3.27 gears in the other foxes. I know when you checked off the LSC package for the Mark VII that gave you the 3.27 gears in the axle. The Bill Blass had I believe 3.08s in the rear if not a little higher

With all do respect the 30th anniversary Cougar was 1987 as the car came out in 1967. I know as I looked at them and I did not want one because it had a digital dash as I expected problems with that. The 1988 had all analog gauges with tachometer etc. The minor difference in acceleration did not justify the extra cost to me.

 

[streetmachine]

I'm also a fan of the 1967 Cougars. Yeah the digital dash is a problem in those cars and the T-Bird. I believe the biggest problem is with the capacitors in the digital stuff but, there is a guy that fixes stuff as a side business. My Mark VII has the trip computer and digital climate control and the overhead console too all of which has been repaired/upgraded.

I wasn't trying to make you mad with regards to the acceleration. I've been helping a friend try to find a clean Cougar/T-Bird and when I read your comment I found it interesting because I myself have thought about picking up down the road a Fox Cougar but, who knows. I will tell you the AOD from this era doesn't do the engine any favors. The 302 is kind of like the 3.9L V6 in the Dakotas. Torquey off the line but, the factory heads choke out power by 4k rpm. In fact, I believe the shift point on my Mark VII when I've gone WOT is 4700-4800 rpm. Anyways, this is good to know because I've been bouncing between another luxury Fox or a Late B/C Mopar later on.

 

[Pete Kaczmarski]

wow did a search and found this one not too far away....

1988 Cougar XR7 - $4600 (Fall Creek) hide this posting unhide
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1988 Cougar XR7





© craigslist - Map data © OpenStreetMap

(google map)

1988 Cougar XR7

condition: excellent
cylinders: 8 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 68000
title status: clean
transmission: automatic

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1988 Mercury Cougar ZR7. This car is all original except for the exhaust. 68,000 miles 302, automatic, power windows, cruise, cold A.C. This car is almost perfect has a couple small dents and scratches in the original paint, interior is mint! The bottom side of this car still looks like the day it rolled off the lot new. There is not a spec of rust. It runs and drives as good as it looks. Just see! If you don't have the money done bother asking. No trades please.

 

[tbm3fan]

Nice 88 but high in price relative to what they sell for out heer. If I were to get one it would be the 95-96 years first. A club member of mine who has several rare big block Cougars, plus that Air Resource Board orange 73 Polara, bought an under 100,000 mile 97 Cougar three years ago for $1700. His co-worker couldn't get it to sell on Craigslist. Classics these are not even 20 years from now except for maybe the first year of the aero bird. Of course, we know, all cars are classics particularly if one owns one.

 

[Pete Kaczmarski]

I liked those STE's but they rusted so bad in the snow and salt. If I remember correctly they were AWD with smoked taillights.

 

[NoDakMopars]

So shoot me. I don't care. And I bet even Mark would agree.
Yes, it's weird but let me explain myself, first...

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/mercury/cougar-xr7/1897870.html

View attachment 137573 View attachment 137574

Have you ever seen one?
Did you even know such acar was made?

You would have fallen all over yourself for my 1987 Pontiac 6000 STE. It was fully loaded (if it was available, this car had it) V-6 and it had a 5 speed manual. It was black and silver two tone with a light blue/grey bucket seat interior and dark windows, so my friends called it the mafia car. I got pulled over one New Years eve because I smoked the tires coming off a red light. 3 years old when I bought it for 4K (half of low blue book) sold it 6 years later for 5.5K. Wish I could do that with every car I own(ed). It looked like this one.

 

[Pete Kaczmarski]

found one for sale in Alaska craigs....

RARE 1988 Pontiac STE AWD - $6000 (Chugiak) hide this posting unhide
< image 1 of 1 >

condition: good

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This is a rare '88 AWD Pontiac STE, its similar to the 6000's but is four wheel drive. Low miles! Runs and drives, however; its a collector that needs a little TLC. Not registered, but has a clean title.
From the research I've conducted, I get production number around 130 made for this particular model/year. Which is very rare!
I can't find any for sale to gauge my price, one '89 on ebay years ago sold for 6k. Mine isn't perfect, but its still in very nice condition.
Only one major problem is the rear air strut designed for this model, makes it impossible to find them, so its rear air shocks don't work. I designed coil-overs to make it useable. If you have better information on this vehicle please let me know. Needs registered.
Thanks.
Possible trade for a four-post vehicle lift with alignment center.

I will delete this ad once car is sold!

 

[NoDakMopars]

I liked those STE's but they rusted so bad in the snow and salt. If I remember correctly they were AWD with smoked taillights.

Mine was 9 years old and didn't have a speck of rust on it. However it did spend all of it's life in Arizona.

 

[streetmachine]

Not as rare as the STE but since we're talking about other cars, had one of these as a high school ride. Very nice car, comfy seats, fuel injected 3.8L V6, and digital dash. The one I drove was black and silver.

 

[graham]

did they run out of sheet metal half way through the design