I found this ambitiously priced thing on ebay, and once owned one of these, and sure would love to own it. Do I need it? Nah. But the condition and provenance sure seems impeccable..

link:

Mercury : Cougar base model in Mercury | eBay Motors

asking $15,500 obo

Ad text:

"A TRUE SURVIVOR" A California Black Plate car. only 39 k original miles. Still in the original owners name.
I saved this car out of a warehouse that was being cleared out. Almost a true barn find. it has the original paint, and interior.
purchased at Pap's Lincoln Mercury in Sunnyvale CA. and kept here in the San Jose area all of it's life.
There is absolutely no rust on this car. except for the areas of every car getting a tiny bit of surface scale, This is stuff like the exhaust and parts on car that are not painted from the factory.
The trunk is like brand new, like it was in 1967. The body is just like it rolled off the assembly line. All the vacuum lines and hoses are completely in tact and everything functions like new, the headlights work great and stay down as they are suppose to.
The inside of the car is immaculate, the steering wheel is near perfect. I have never seen a cougar this nice, and this original.
Please email me with any questions. I am not taking low ball offers, if you know what this car is you will understand, it is a bone stock non modified vehicle. a true one of a kind beauty that needs a good home with someone that can appreciate how things were built back in the 60's

It's just 250 miles away and the area is well known to me.. I'd like to look at least.

What do you guys think? MS Fowler would surely know for sure about these. The owner owns a Mustang/Cobra repair facility.

Some back & forth has so far occured wiith the seller and myself...

Q:

Is the car "turn key", oil ok and tires not old and cracked? looks like 1981 tags? What is vin# for Marti report? Is it green or gold color? Does it have 2bbl 289 or 4bbl? single exhaust? any time or mile based records of oil changes or service? Cruiseoatic trans or 3 or 4 speed manual?Does it have disc or drum front brakes/ ( "DISC BRAKE" ) symbol would be on brake pad cover? red warning light under dash for e-brake? Power steering or brakes? tinted & shaded windshield or just the standard oine without? Console? factory Air cond? Owners manual in the glovebox? Clock r blank in center of dash? Courtesy lights or not on C pillars inside at side of rear sets? Is battery ok, does brakes, lights, horn, etc all work? Are sparkplugs & coolant fresh or ok? Do you know much about history of cr & why stored so long? Is original owner alive? Spare tire & scissors jack in place? Can I come and see before bidding/buying? It is not too far away from here.

~~~

A:

It's a base cougar, no options. I went through the mechanicals and made everything reliable and safe. Drum brakes are all new but drum in the front. I pulled the engine and resealed it as well as the trans. It's an automatic 3 speed c-4 and no console. No options! 289 2bl carb. It runs as smooth as glass. All fluids are new. This is a turn key car, it needs nothing. I had planned on replacing exhaust to dual but it is single factory right now. The trunk is mint, with spare tire and jack included. The owners are not alive as far as I have found out. It was left in a warehouse for more than 20 years, so kept indoors all it's life. I live in auburn so I am close to u , but my shop and car is in Santa Clara area. Let me know and you can come look at it, I can also send you more pics on Monday, and can transport the car to you if you buy it. Thanks for the interest. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Q:

Thank you for the response. My question to you of greatest import is specifically about whether it has no power steering, as I have driven these with power steering only, and found them rather difficult to manage in low speed turning and parking maneuvers even with PS so I am wondering how much tougher (and I am not so young) it might be now.
That said I would like to see the car, in person. 5 minutes looking and 10 driving should do a lot to convince me about what i need to decide, though I am NOT wasting your time here, as I was with a friend at Candlestick Park in SF just yesterday and my friend said he thought he had heard of your business in the South Bay and that it is reputable.

~~~

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

If I had the disposable income I wouldn't hesitate to buy it! What a time machine. I bought stuff from Mustang Ranch years ago (actually for my 1966 Bronco but a lot of parts interchange) and they were pretty cool if I remember right. I have no idea if it is the same owners anymore though.

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1984 300TD 1981 240D

But the color?

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

I used to love those things when they were $3500.

Not sure I could love it as much for 15 kilobucks.

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Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Didn't those cars have a cool looking ash tray door?

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For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
For the unSaved, this world is the best it will ever get.

Clk's Ebay Stuff BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!

Presume that if it's rubber, it's probably crap, including the tires and brake hoses, and budget accordingly. As for 4-wheel drum brakes, I have to imagine that the classic Mustang aftermarket has a response to this issue. Has the fuel tank been pulled, flushed and sealed? Crud traveling up the fuel line will definitely ruin the ride home.

I'm not quite grasping the power steering question. You want power steering, correct?

I can't imagine the guy paying more than $5000 for it in non running shape after 20 years of storage. How much is his engine reseal and fluids worth to you?

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

the rear valence under the bumper is pulled out on the bottom for some reason and that engine and compartment are just too clean.

I guess the low mileage is cool but that's one of the butt ugliest cars Detroit ever built IMHO. Just weird.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

I thought they were very cool back in the day. A friend's family had one which he drove around. He liked to pretend it was a 390 (he was always blowing things up to impress).

Yeah, Tyler is prolly right, but where you gonna find another?

The question about power steering is probably a good one. I doubt that many were made without it as it was marketed more as a luxo cruiser than an econo car or high performance.

If it happens not to have it I imagine the seller would put it on for you if you made a purchase conditional on that.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Pictures look very clean. ( The advertisement speaks highly of it!)

My first '64 Falcon Sprint had manual steering, and I put E70 tires on the front of it to counteract the understeer. It was a little heavy when parking, but not unmanageable. My second '64 Falcon Sprint had power steering and it was too light--also the ratio was the same as for the power steering. IIRC, Mustang ( and Cougar) used a quicker ratio for power steering. Also, IIRC, '67 was about when Ford when to integral power steering. The earlier system would be an easy refit. I don't know how tough installing a new integral system would be. Probably just changing the steering gear, hang on the pump and connect the hoses, but not sure. The two systems might use different steering linkage to change the ration.
When I get home, I will compare the engine pictures to those in Bob Manel's comprehensive book that documents the small block Ford, but my first impression is that it looks good.
The only warning bell going off in my head is the "reseal". I can understand why a seller would do it, but I'd prefer original condition, and let me decide to pull the engine. There are many slick sellers out there, so you just don't know. The fact that your friend confirms this is a reputable shop is a good point.
If driven carefully, I don't see why the drum brakes would be too much of a concern. From the clean look of the body sheet metal, they have, apparently, worked well. If they do concern you, any Mustang catalog should have everything you'd need to convert to front discs, but unless you plan on a lot of high speed, multiple braking events, I's keep it original.
Paint condition would be a major factor to me. It should be close to factory original. Maybe a good cleaner/wax to bring back the shine. If it needs a repaint, that would affect the value--at least to me.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

Is it really that Lima bean color? I remember that being a Ford color from that era. It would look sharp Canary yellow or a nice lipstick red.

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

Sweet! I actually like the color and the hubcaps and am strangely attracted to low- and no-option cars.

His asking price is optimistic, but why would he tip his hand?

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

i had a cougar matchbox car that same color back in the 60's.doors opened and i think the hood.

offer 12K