[Kusaywa]

Been wanting my first car for awhile. Found this 67 Cougar and here is the add from Craigslist:
67 Car of the Year. Standard coupe, 87K original miles. 289 2v, auto, dual exhaust PS, LS rear, console, two sets of wheels(one factory wire wheel covers) and new BFG tires on Eliminator wheels. Major restoration 20 years ago of solid stock car, 99% rust free. All original panels, rebuilt original 289, suspension, brakes gas tank front seat covers, carpets and too much more to list. Paint could use freshen up but very presentable. Glacier Blue color.
It is everything he says it is (very honest add for once).
Is it worth $8500?

 

[Spartikus]

From the pictures it looks like a super straight and very rust free car. All the right stuff is where it shoudl be. The inner fender walls look good under the hood. As long as the frame is straight and the underside is rusted away looks good.

It's not an XR-7 but it sure looks clean. My own 2 bits would be to get that car between 6-8 would be nice. That said I know a guy here in Calgary who recently went out and paid 12K for a very similar car to the one shown in your pictures just because he wanted it super clean.

Best of luck to you. Wait for a couple more opinions but in all honesty if you can afford it budget wise, it looks like a nice car and it's value is really what you place in it.

EDIT: http://www.mercurycougar.net/forums/showthread.php?58733-My-68-CougarXR7-for-sale

Check out that one in the for sale section to just to help relate pricing. That car is an XR-7 and ahs some nice engine mods.

 

[yeloxr7]

Did the car originally have two-tone paint or a vinyl roof? The moldings are there that separate one roof treatment or the other from the rest of the body.

 

[68XR-7Cat]

Personally, I think he's a little on the high side. I'd peg it at more like $6500 - $7K. Although pictures can be deceiving, my sense of the interior is that it's nice but tired and in need of refreshing. Overall, it's kind of a plain jane. I'd get a Marti Report on it, though, because it may have originally been either a vinyl top or two-tone car and that could make it more interesting. I say that because of the vinyl top trim pieces that have been painted to match.

It's a power drum car, so that's worth less than disc brakes. Otherwise, it looks clean.

BTW, to see what that car could look like with a vinyl top and styled steel wheels, take a look at Cheshire Cat on my website.

 

[Cedar Rapids Ia]

Didn't we just see that same car in another post this week? Looks really familiar.

 

[Kusaywa]

Yes, it's one I'm thinking about buying but wanted to ask a few questions before hand. This was originally a 2 tone paint, black (onyx) on the roof. These look good with a vinyl roof but I'm not impressed with black paint. The interior pictures are a little bit decieving. First of all, who would get in with muddy shoes. Secondly, the picture of the passenger side interior I think appears that way from the light under the dash. There are some things that need to be done but not much to make this car mint. True, paint could use a litte freshening up, and some parts of the interior are faded (or just dirty), but all together I think I could get away with doing nothing to the car for awhile.

 

[Don Rush]

If he is over-priced it is not by much... Keep in mind it would about $1000 to ship this car from the West Coast and a bird in hand is better than a bird in the bush!

 

[Kusaywa]

Yea not much here in the northeast, especially with regards to Cougars. Drove from Albany, NY to Boston to look at a Cougar that looked good in pictures for $6500. It was front to back rust. And others I have looked at we're the same regardless of the price. I've gone through $200 alone in gas & tolls looking at cars only to be disappointed. So considering it may be a bargain just because of it's close proximity. Plus it has a few extras not mentioned. Original valve covers (ones on car are chrome), extra set of wheels & hub caps, original AM Radio (has a cheap am/fm cassette now) & a broshure. So if I sold the extras I could probably get close to what I'm overpaying.

 

[CatsRock]

It still amazes me how the members can disect a car from pictures ( not being derogatory). I know when I was on my quest members saw things I would have not been keyed in on. With that being said the only advice I can give is take what the members see, recomend,and question to make your decision. I know I have as many made many a trip to see cats NOT at all what they are advertised as. I spent over 2 years searching for the vert before I found one and in the end it was well worth the wait. When its sitting in your driveway/garage your the one that will look at it every day so be happy with your choice. That also goes for the times its up on jackstands with your knuckles bloodied saying alot of words that have no purpose being in one sentence. Good luck on your quest :beer:

 

[70COUGAR428]

It is a Nice looking Cougar But you have to ask your self is this what your looking for what you like. Clean Cougar are you looking to keep Factory or Custom. Have you seen the 1968 Cougar XR-7G Hertz on ebay it one of my favorite Cougars. Good luck JOHN

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-MERCURY-COUGAR-XR7-G-HERTZ-/190643639939?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2c633f1683

And there is this Cougar on ebay looks like a 8500. dollor car with A/C
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-Mercury-Cougar-Lime-Frost-302-4bbl-California-DSO-Classic-Hardtop-VIDEO-/270920085473?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3f14186fe1

 

[Don Rush]

It is a Nice looking Cougar But you have to ask your self is this what your looking for what you like. Clean Cougar are you looking to keep Factory or Custom. Have you seen the 1968 Cougar XR-7G Hertz on ebay it one of my favorite Cougars. Good luck JOHN

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-MERCURY-COUGAR-XR7-G-HERTZ-/190643639939?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2c633f1683

And there is this Cougar on ebay looks like a 8500. dollor car with A/C
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-Mercury-Cougar-Lime-Frost-302-4bbl-California-DSO-Classic-Hardtop-VIDEO-/270920085473?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3f14186fe1

Stick with cars that grew up out here and you will be way ahead... Just look at these pictures!

​

 

[letsroll]

Can you get a forum member to kick the tires for you? Does the bottom side look as nice as the top? If so, then I can tell you that one could not restore one to that nice of condition for $8500. Well maybe if the car was really nice before starting and the car itself was free to start with. So ask yourself this, is it worth $8500 to you? i for one think that the price is decent. Not cheap but not over the top.

here is another way to look at it. the price might be on the high side for where it is located. But in the rust belt, a car like that for $8500 doesn't come along very often!

 

[Kusaywa]

Just an example of how overpriced everything is here in New York. My son needed a power steering pulley assembly for his 94 Ford Probe. Junk yard here $50. Junk yard in North Carolina $40 shipping included. Anyway, there is nothing on the car, top or bottom where I have to say to myself, "I better take care of this before it gets worse" or "$8500, but it needs XXXX right away". Sure the ebay car from Texas is well worth $8500, but the reserve hasn't been met? Who knows how much they want, and being a car dealer, they haven't been able to sell it at the dealership so I bet they want quite more than $8500. And I'm really leaning towards keeping it stock. Power disc brakes would be nice, but for the amount of driving I will be doing, is it worth the cost? I even plan on putting the stock AM radio back in. Hook my MP3 player up to an amp/sub and the rear deck speakers (which aren't stock, but the guy has a pair already installed). I'm also afraid that a deal like this won't come along again any time soon. I love the 67 Cougars, but their not at the top of the food chain like Mustangs & Camaros. Their hard to come by, especially around here. And would anyone really buy a car from anywhere else, no matter how many pictures were taken, without driving it or looking at it in person? Believe me (like the car I looked at in Boston) pictures hide alot. So take into account driving or flying to check a car out and then driving or shipping it back, I may be ahead of the game. I just don't want to be the guy they look at and say, "there's a sucker born every minute"!

 

[68XR-7Cat]

You should go for it, IMHO. $8500 won't put you in the sucker category; it just means you'll be paying a premium price. But saving on shipping costs is significant as are some of the other issues people have mentioned. You're also the only one here who knows what the car looks like up close and personal. That trumps a lot of picture-based opinions.

 

[letsroll]

i got zoomed up on the pic of the engine bay and the condition of the upper aprons is extremely nice. Seldom see them that good on a non restored car in the north.If that car is local and you do not have to pay shipping, I am with Bill in the above post!

 

[Kusaywa]

These aren't pictures that I took BTW. You would think the guy that took the pictures would have sprayed of the engine to make it look more presentable, but this is a guy that wears muddy shoes then takes a picture of the interior. THANKS for all the advice I got on this, very much appreciated.

 

[tbm3fan]

Are you simply going to pay the $8500 out right? Why not throw out a price of $7000 and see what happens? You can always go up and may find out that you just might settle a little lower than $8500. Nothing to lose...

 

[menesesjesse]

Good honest cars are hard to come by. If he has paperwork and has given you more pictures of the relevent things that are important to you you may want to shoot him an offer. Dont insult him. Having sold 4 cars in the past 4 months on craigslist I am amazed how ignorant people are with offers. I bought mine from the original owner and it didnt look so nice but I saw the potential behind the dirt and grime so I paid a small premium. Good luck with the purchase. These cars I believe have gone up in value where as the mustang has flattened and gown down in some cases. Nice unmolested ones are hard to find.