[evilmess]

Why not Mustang or 'Cuda, Chevelle, Camaro or even Firebird.

I know some of you own or have owned various classics besides Cougar but what was it that made you choose Cougar over all the rest?. :smoke:

 

[crowlector]

Now that is a good question.

A friend of mine had a '69 XR-7 in high school, and we used to roll that baby EVERYWHERE! I LOVED that car. It was an XR-7, Dark Metallic green, black vinyl top, black LEATHER interior, factory a/c, pozzi, 351-4v w/ cam, carb and headers, and factory sunroof that car was loaded! Too bad he got a flat tire on the freeway one night - left the car, and a towing company towed it away. They didnt get in touch with him for a few days, and told him the had the car - he put off getting it from the yard and when he finally went to get it, the impound cost $800.00!!! ( original tow plus many weeks of storage) He just said forget it - and never went back for it. I loved that car!!

Shortly after the whole impound thing I got my 1st '68! I like the 68 cougar the best of all cougars. The 67's are nice, but the '68 to me looks more complete. To me, the 67's didnt look finished - no side markers etc....And you could get a sunroof in '68!!! (if you can find one)

In 1995, about 3 years after i got my first '68 i wrecked it making an illegal left turn - pretty much totalled it - ended up getting 1800.00 for it wrecked - not bad - but i would rather have the car rather than the money.

SO...We fast forward to 2000.........After the death of my first '68 in 1995 - i started milling around town looking for a replacement '68. i really wanted a sunroof car, so i was very patient and after about 6 - 8 months looking i finally got my xr7-g WITH A SUNROOF!!! YAY!!!!

wow..i seriously rambled.......

there is a very cool story of how i got the "G" car too - but that is for another day.... =)

 

[OC_Cougar]

Hm, why the cougar indeed...

My first car (16 years ago) was a 66 mustang, red, 289, AT, A/C, P/S... was a great car...

Recently I saw the pics of this 67 cougar, and the next day it was mine. I live in CA and was driving my Suburban with a 383 stroker motor and headers... NOT CA Emission friendly. I decided I wanted to get another classic car so smog wasn't an issue. I wanted something sporty that I could work on a restomod project / daily driver. I sorta stumbled on the cougar and it kinda reminded me of my first car... and a friend had a 68 xr7 about 8 years ago... so I liked them already... and, I love them now. My only wish, which I'm sure is SUPER common here.. is that I had more money to do the things I want to with it, without taking like 5 years!!! hehe.

There ya have it...
Robert

 

[whisperer]

I had a '68 GT 390 XR7 in college and built the car pretty good. At the time gasoline costs were killing me and the C6 went south on me. A freind of a freind offered to trade his 3 year old rotory mazda straight across (This was 1978 or so) and at the time it seemed like a good deal. Somebody give me a doofus for that one..........

So, the whole time I had that one there was a '68 302 4spd car sitting in front of my brothers house that a previous occupent owned. The earliest I remember the car was 1974. After the guy moved out to the right coast I bought it from him in 1980. I brought it back to good daily driver condition and drove it off and on until 1994 when I sold it to a friend's son with the express instructions that if he ever decided to sell it he would give me first crack. (I had way too many projects going at the time).

Well, last year I get this criptic message on my answering machine......... I bought it back sight unseen. Good lord, NEVER do that. The car had been sitting outside for all but 1 year of the time he had it, he had put the uglyest "turbo" wheels I have ever seen on it and his POed ex had broke out the windshield and side window, and put some ball peen dents in the hood with a hammer. I'm almost back to square one now but at least I know the sorted history of this one and I'm realy enjoying seeing it take shape.

You should hear the story about getting it on the trailer when I picked it up........ I'll save that for another day.

 

[Jeff]

My cougar I got I think late last september, I had been driveing a p.o.s. 88 ford tempo so when my dad and I were looking for a replacement car we saw it in the paper, so we took a nice little drive down to arlington to have a look. the guy got in and it fired right off and I guess it had been sitting for a little less than a year. The black vynal top was in perfect condition and it really just needed the glass to be put back in, cleening, and some electrical. I am the third owner but it the last owner baught it from his father in-law. Now I'v been driveing it and its a lot of fun, its definetly better than some rice rocket.

 

[sixt9coug]

originally i wanted a Mustang when i was on the search for my first car. then after some looking around, seeing some other Cougars out on the roads, i liked the idea of having something that i didnt see wherever i went. one of the Cougars was the red one that the old lady has. i posted a pic of it in the photo gallery. that was part of the inspiration for getting mine. eventually my aunt up in Ventura said a co-worker was selling the 69 that his aunt had owned since it was new. he had possesion of it and had plans of fixing it up, but his wife fell ill so he needed the money. after buying it pretty much sight unseen ( had seen some pics and my aunt saw it, but i never did in person ) i got it home where it blew a radiator hose after me driving it less than 100 feet. lol. it was a warm October 23rd and it had just come from a good sized freeway drive. all that and i had to get to work at Taco Bell in 2 hours. so after fixing it and getting to work it was ok. many more small things came along and this car made me learn about old cars and carbs and points and leaks, and misfires and getting the firing order wrong and blowing the carb and a whole bunch of other stuff. it also got me into painting cars and doing body work which is really something that i enjoy doing. after almost selling the car many times when learning to cope with maintaining it, i now wouldnt sell it even for much more than its worth. i have too much of my own work and time into it than could be purchased. i learned a whole lot with this car and although it still leaks and eats gas like a pig, its a whole lot of fun. and ive only owned it for 2 1/2 years

 

[COUGRRRMAN]

HERE'S MY SHORT STORY

I bought my first cougar in 1977 in Hawaii ( I still have the plates in my garage) while I was in the Marine Corps. I drove it for 6 months then had it shipped to the mainland and took it to Yuma, Az. where I worked on it and had a nice "cat" to drive. Over the years I have owned around 10 cougars. All 69's until recently; when I bought the 67 GT to build my Vintage Trans Am racer out of it. I have also owned 1 69 Cyclone CJ that I sold last year along with a 69 390 Eliminator and a 69 sunroof "hurst" Eliminator. My SS driver resto-mod 69 351w and the racer are my current projects with the 69 convertible being my "show car" / "sunday driver". My most tragic Cougar story is the death by freeway accident of my first 69 convertible. Totaled after a modest restoration. Red with white tp and int.

 

[kvinmn]

I had a '96 Firebird Formula WS6 and last year I ran out of gas with it. Seems as if GM decided to put the fuel pump in the tank and also decided that using the fuel to cool the pump would be a good thing. Unless of course you run out of gas and BURN UP the fr&%$in thing. $1200.00 later ($450.00 for the pump, the rest in labor - had to drop the rear axle to remove the tank) I decided that I should have bought the 60's muscle car instead.

So last Sept I embarked on the search. It was either going to be a 69 Roadrunner (had one in HS), a 68 Mustang big block GT Fastback or a 67-69 Cougar big block. Once I saw what decent Roadrunners and Mustangs were fetching on the market it made the decision easy. Besides, I always loved Cougars. Dyno Don was ripping up the strip when I was a kid. Boy am I glad I bought my 68. I considered a 69 but since a good friend had owned his since 1977 I figured I wanted something a little different. I found my 68 XR7 in Ft. Worth, drove it back in April, paid too much for it and haven't looked back!!!

Some poor unfortunate bought my Firebird and yes, I warned him to never, ever run out of gas...

Ken

 

[Art]

Re: Why Cougar...

Go back to 1969/1970. A pal of mine and myself were approached by my pal's Cousin (Older, blonde and a BABE!) to go with her to the Mall because her Dad refused to let her go alone.
"Sure, why not!"
Pal's cousin's Dad had just given her the keys to a 68 "F" code Cougar.... Anyway, that Summer, pal and myself accompanied her to the mall several times in that Cougar.

Go foward 22 years.... the "Dad" retired and had taken a part time job at a small machine shop where I was doing some subcontracting work.... I asked him "Whatever happened to that old Cougar Renee had???", Oh, she still has it, her Husband was gonna fix the brakes a couple of years ago and it's still sitting in the mud where he took it apart. "She want to sell it?" NOOO! Renee's Husband is gonna restore it.

Anyway, a couple of phone calls and $900. changed hands and the Cougar was/is mine! Originally Ice blue/Red (Yeccch), now Wimbledon White/Red.

(By the way, the older blonde pal's cousin is still a babe!)

 

[Todd]

I had my first cougar at 16,a mint 69xr7 I bought from a little old lady in 1978.One month later an old man hit me head-on.Inext bought a 69 standard.and was hid head-on by a drunk driver.My next cougar was a 67xr7 I did not wreck that one ,I sold it to my best friend who was rearended in it.Fast forward 23 years and many off brand muscle cars later. I needed somthing to do after I lost my job after Sep.11,I found a sweet deal on ebay for a 69 sport special. Lets hope this one lasts longer than the last ones.

 

[wvcat]

WellI was born a ford man I think but I have had a few others as well. My fisrt 2 cars were torino's a 69 and 71 back around 76-77. When I graduated hs my parents said they would buy me a car for 1000 bucks so we started looking. Still no cougars but then I got into comets, the first was a one owner 62 that went from a 144 2 sp to a built 302 c4 and then another 62 and a 63. When I got mrried the first time I sold my 51 chevy coupe and moved to fl.
This is where the cats come in. In 2 days I had a job at a used car lot where the owner had 5 yes 5 69 cougar convertibles!!! I fell in love right there but still didn't get one of my own. after a divorce and a move to ca. I was going thru a british car phase (mg's and triumphs) when I saw the 69 bench standard for sale. I called the guy and made a deal. I traded even for my midget. One night my 69 died on the freeway on the way to work and while I was after parts it got all the side windows, radio, college books, and even my lunch stolen. I found wvcat in the paper acouple days later and now I'm a cat dude til the end!!! I had to sell one when I moved back to wv so I kept the xr7 since the interior was sooo mych nicer even though the 69 had better paint.

John
wvcat

 

[vfret]

My parents gave me a 70 cougar when I turned 16. I'v been hooked ever since.

 

[gatorphan]

I have always owned and restored Chevy's (especially Chevelle's) myself. Never gave a Cougar a second look. I was looking for another car to resurrect a few weeks ago, checking the ads daily and came across this add for a 1971 Cougar. The price was enticing and I decided to give a call and check it out. Well as you may know it ended up being the original owner who only put 51,000 on the car in the 30 plus years she owned it. Wasn't allowed to drive anymore. All original, no mods EVER, paint was awesome, NO RUST anywhere, cold AC,the engine compartment looked sweet, test drove her and ran liked new and the low price was incredible lol. Well....I still wasn't convinced to buy it because I knew absolutely nothing about Cougars (except that I passed them by in Car Shows not giving them a second look...SORRY!) The car was so nice that I decided that I would buy it and I could immediately sell it for a profit. I offered her $500 less than advertised and she accepted. So I wrote her a check as a deposit and picked it up a few days later all the while thinking how fast I could sell it and buy another Chevelle or something. All it took was the hour car ride home to appreciate this car. After spending a few days checking her out, cleaning and detailing I can honestly say that I'm a Cougar Nut! This car is staying and although I'm always looking for another car (who isn't lol) Cougars are what I look for first. Go figure lol

 

[cmpcpro]

I don't know about you Steve, but here in Burbank, I see more old Cougars then Mustangs. There is a yellow 68 a couple blocks above me. And a mint condition mint color 69 on the top of the hill. A white 69 in okay condition. And a restored 70 that lives around here too. And I still see different ones passing through quite often.

Sometimes I'll see three in a day!

Chris

 

[cougarguy]

When i was 16 and looking for a car my old man was going to buy it for me atradition in our family not that we are from means but that was how it has been and i continued doing so for my son as well and he will for his. anyways i wanted an eliminator just because i loved the name. all i had ever seen was a orange 70 and loved that car. But my father being a bowtie nut bought me a 69 camaro. it was okay but not a cat and probably the reason i bleed blue is just to rebel against dad. then i did 12 yrs doing the harley shtick tattoos and everything but became disanchanted when doctors and people of money got into the whole weekend biker thing, when irts the thing to do i loose interest what can i say how can you be a rebel when everyone else is doing it and its mainstreem. Fast forward a couple of years and i bought my first 70 for my son. he drove it through hi school and loved the car but it needed some work to be really nice but it was a good starter. then my son bought a grand am for going to college and my nephew fell on hard times so my wife talked me into giving the car to him so he could have a car to drive since he was in a motorcycle accident and could not ride his bike back and forth. i did so under the understanding that i would get it back and that he would not sell it. after he drove it into the dirt he busted the tranny his mom decided to give it to the salvation army i cried many nights after that. as my pop says no good deed goes unpunished. then i came across an add for toppless cat and it was listed as a69 vert. so the wife and i checked it out and when i got there it was a 70! much better as there was a lower production on them so it was what i was looking for. about a year later i found mauseater on ebay. i thought it was a car close by and sure enough it was. so i got it for 910.00 what a buy! any case both cars have sat around for two years now waiting for me to clear room in my garaqe to work on them. so aws i just got that done and the wife wants new furniture so what happens to the old stuff. it is out in the garage waiting for the kid to move out. i tell you not an even brake. Oh i also own a 57 tbird as well but to be honest i bought it thinking it would become my favorite and it isnt. I can only say being a good michigan boy i can only quote the Nuge "Got Cat Scratch Fever!"

 

[steelcat]

Why Cougar

My first car was a 70 hard top at age 17. My 2nd was a 70 hardtop XR7 my brother had 2 70's both hardtop 1 XR7 my sister had a 67 XR7 hardtop and my girlfrend had a 69 XR7 hardtop who is now my Wife. And know I have a 70 XR7 ragtop so their have been Cougars in my life for a very long time. STEELCAT

 

[leonbray]

Always had GM or european - couln't find a decent 67 firebird in Oz, didn't want a mustang (everyone has one) - saw a Cougar while surfing the net - and then my wife found one for sale at a local car yard. Rest is history - now i'm hooked and on the way to divorce with cougar nominated as the other party

 

[73XR7]

Well i have owned everything from a 11 sec 80 Cobra to a chevette that could pull the front wheels, but nothing i have owned has grabbed at my soul like my cat! It was about 2 years ago when a good buddy of mine bought 73 XR-7 for a mere 700 bucks from a old man it was in a garage and he neverdrove it but he kept it clean and the chrome was kept up. My buddy got it put a ENTIRE new suspension in , brakes and the like and drove it for about a year. One night she got stolen... 2 weeks later they found it about 15 miles from his house and he got it back, the coloum was ok but the lock had been ripped out, and the radio(not original) was pulled out of the glove box along with the insert. So this really bummed my buddy but he drove it then someone cut him off and he blew the rear brake line. He parked it and said he was gonna sell it. I got excited because i always liked that car. He called me and told me that he wanted me to have first dibs because he knew i like the cat and that he knew i would take care of her and respect her, and i have done nothing less i am now the pround owner of Ginger our Triple Ginger Kitty!

Oh by the way i only paid $600.00 for her

 

[evilmess]

Some good stories here, I especially like Arts story since it involves a Babe! Hey Art, it's nice to know some things never change.

My first real exposure to the Cougar came in the 80's when rice was still something served with chow mein and I was a 16 year old pumping gas for minimum wage. A guy I worked with had a 67 or 68 Cougar, primered with mag wheels and a nice throaty sound. It made a good impression on a 16 year old muscle car kid who grew up with Camaros and Corvettes. Time marches on and I never gave the Cougar another thought until about 3 years ago when my neighbor rolls a little old 67 standard out of her garage and puts it up for sale, $2500!

I wasn't able to buy that Cougar despite efforts from the owner to hold it for me until I had adequet funds. Since then I've had Cougar on my mind and constanly watching the market and saving money via my 401k.

A little later on I was laid off and I cashed out my 401k and bought my 68 XR-7

 

[modifiedmark]

First car, a 69 Torino GT in 75. Ripped up the streets pretty good with it. After H.S. got hooked on stock cars. Mother was relieved that it was safer than tearing up the public highways.

First race car was a 70 Mustang, in the 6 cyl division but what caught my eye was this guy running in the sportsman division with a 68 cougar with a boss 302 in it. Now remember that these were the days when aftermarket pieces for Fords were the same as nonexistient so that little Boss 302 kicking the chevys behinds caught me off guard. The guy was my instant hero. So after trashing my Mustang after the first year a 68 Cougar was the no brainer choice for the next racer. Won alot of races with it.

After I got out of racing and wanted something to mess with the Cougar was the natural choice. Found my 69 in Wis and have had alot of fun with it. I still have some of the vroom vroom left in me so instead of messing up a pretty good car am looking for another to fix up the way "I" see fit. mm