By Alex Vickers

Katakuna

After months of constant searching, disappointments and near deals, I’ve finally acquired (and payed for) a college beater. Yep, you no longer have to listen to me go on and on about buying a car! What kind of car, you ask? A 1993 Mercury Cougar XR7.

Now, my father paid $250 for the car, but I’m only to pay back half of that. Can you imagine scoring such a sweet ride for $125! It runs perfectly! No missing, no backfiring, it doesn’t so much as burn a drop of oil. Brakes are new, tires are decent, and almost no rust. The interior, it’s not great, but it’s not the worst I’ve seen. The power seats work (yeah, power seats in a $125 car) even! There’s a mystery burn on the steering wheel…

Not bad for a car that sat in a parking lot for six months, eh? What do you guys think?

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

We got a ton of comments on the list of “Top Ten Vehicles That Need to Come Back”. I didn’t include any of the cars below cause they are all from dead brands. But if we lived in an alternate universe, then yes, all of these rides would need to come back! See the rest of the list after the jump!

Pontiac Trans Am

Duh.

Continue reading "Top Ten Vehicles That Need to Come Back But Can’t Because Their Brands No Longer Exist" »

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

I guess this shouldn’t be surprising, but I’ve been noticing a ton of really nice-condition 70′s cars for sale lately, but certainly not for 70′s-car prices. If you go on your local Craigslist and simply enter your desired year in the search under “Cars and Trucks”, you can get a pretty good idea of the range of stuff that’s in your area. My search for “1973″ turned up this mint-condition Mercury Cougar XR7. I want it, but not for 6000 bucks! There was also this beautiful mildly-cammed Centurion, which Rob swears should be a 1200-dollar car because of its four doors, for $2900–I think the engine rebuild and the performance goodies alone make it worth it–and this gorgeous 460 cu-in Ranchero for an unheard-of $8500. Why is everyone trying to offload undesirable 70′s rides at Barret-Jackson premiums all of a sudden? To search a particular year nationally on craigslist, go to Google and enter exactly this in the search window:  site:craigslist.org 1973. What year(s) are you searching and what kind of cool stuff have you found?

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a series where I describe what I consider to be a muscle car, and where you either agree or disagree with me. It has been a fun year last year, and in December I ran a series of posts in which I asked you, the reader, to select your favorites by decade. Well, it’s time to reveal the best, and to do a final vote. Think of it as the Superbowl of Obscurity.

Continue reading (and vote!) after the jump!

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: The Best of 2009" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and to showcase cars you may never have thought existed. Lincoln-Mercury introduced the Mercury Cougar during the 1967 model year, and by this time almost all the automakers were competing in the hotly contested “Pony Car” arena, so called because they were all modeled after the highly successful Ford Mustang. In 1967, Dan Gurney signed on with Lincoln Mercury to campaign the Cougar in Group II Sedan Racing (Then called Trans Am). There was the obligatory dress up package called the “Dan Gurney Special” for both 1967 and 1968, which included a decal, and other items. However, Lincoln-Mercury Dealers wanted something special, and Ford provided a “Status” car similar to the Shelby Mustangs, that was contracted to Shelby Automotive. Introducing the 1968 Mercury Cougar XR7-G.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: the 1968 Mercury Cougar XR7-G" »

By Brett Powers

audiobahnv8sho

I decided the best time to begin the Cougar engine teardown was during a family get-together since my brother-in-law is also into this sort of thing. When I got the Cougar I also got an ’86 Cougar GS with a 5.0 EFI engine, which I promptly decided would be a perfect engine to build up for this project. My main goal was 250-300 horsepower at the flywheel. This is certainly possible using mostly factory parts. I will be combing junkyards and Craigslist for cast Ford parts to achieve my goal. Most of the guys I have spoken to who build up my sort of car usually convert their normal 5.0 to 5.0 HO motors and call it good, but I want more horsepower than your typical Fox chassis Mustang. I want my car to be able to run with 05-09 Mustangs and mid 90s Cobras. This is going to be an interesting build indeed. What do you think, am I shooting for a silly goal or am I building a street car that can hold its own?

By Brett Powers

audiobahnv8sho

Well seeing as I am new to the blog, most of you don’t know about my projects.  I’ve got a ’67 Checker and an ’85 Mercury Cougar that take up most of my time, and right now I’m embarking on some major surgery on the Cougar. So it begins…

Continue reading "Bodywork Saga Begins" »

No, seriously. More at Jalopnik. 

Hey, not everyone can be a winner. But there are a ton of awesome and hilarious rides in the Amoco Ultimate contest, so we decided to highlight some of our favorites. Like entry # 937, a late 80s Cougar:

My first car. It had a plexiglass driver window, no radio, no a/c, no ignition switch, and some kind of parasitic drain on the battery. I needed 3 keys to start it, a battery cut off key, a replacement ignition key to turn on the fuel pump and other accessories, and a starter switch in the center console. I only used the best products in the car though to keep it running right and that did include using Amoco gas for every fuel up. 

There are still more chances to win, so if you haven’t already thrown your hat into the ring, make sure to enter the Amoco Ultimate Your Car Is Worth It Photo Contest!

Michael picked up this Cougar last year, and while the previous owner had spiffed up the exterior, all the running gear was left stock. Of course, it didn’t stay that way for long! Right now, the engine is out of the car and being fitted with go-fast goodies. From the looks of it, this classic is going to be one quick kitty when she’s all done. Good luck man, we’ll be keeping an eye on your progress!