1979 Mercury Cougar XR7 $6,000 Iowa 56,452 miles

[B Jake Moran]

This Cougar XR7 has been in the same family since it was purchased in 1979 and runs like new. It is in Good condition and has been entered in many car shows over the years. This listing is a cash-only listing.

Marketplace - 1979 Mercury Cougar · XR-7 Coupe 2D | Facebook

 

I can not seem to copy and paste to my laptop, so direct copy and paste here -->

 

 

 

 

[B Jake Moran]

Nice entry level car for someone.  I would replace the faux wire wheel set with period magnesium or aluminum Ford factory wheels.  

[Fossil]

I still have a hard time visualizing the Cougar name on a car like this. Kind of like naming a Chevy Impala a Corvette. 

[JamesR]

I agree that it looks like a good way for someone to get into old cars. Great prices are why we're seeing more seventies cars in the old car hobby. I'm surprised that a larger car like this looks good in red. If the mileage claim is accurate, it would be worth owning.

[1957Birdman]

If you are having a hard time seeing the Cougar name on this car then you should have seen the 1982 Cougar Station wagon I had that turned out to be a pretty good family hauler for the family and me.

Lew Bachman

1957 Thunderbird

[B Jake Moran]

Didn't they even name a car a Cougar in the late 1990's.   I have not seen one of those in years. 

 

But back to this car - the bright red with white interior, or vice versa, is a car from that era I like.  Did they still offer a 351 2v in 1979?  If so, I want that engine, not the 302.  

[rocketraider]

Wish the listing showed which engine it has. A 302 or 351 are the best for these years. See my comments on the 400 some of these had in the 71 LTD thread.

 

Yes, a good entry collector car. Modern enough to keep up with traffic, stylish enough to not blend into the scenery. And not as heinous to service as a lot of cars.

 

The Lipstick Red works because there's enough white and bright trim to break it up, and they both integrate with the car's lines.

 

A buddy had one in a light teal blue/white accents, and it was a buckets/console T-top car. Nice traveling car.

[STEVE POLLARD]

My parents purchase a new 1977 XR7 in the fall of 1976...the exterior was all white with white bucket seats with red carpet, red dash. It had the 8-track in it, Ford Motor Company supplied a 8-track tape to play - us kids thought that was cool ! Oh, it had the 351 in it !

 

 

Steve

[Sal Hepatica]

After thrilling to new car wonderment year after year in my youth, I finally arrived at a station in life where I could indulge my new car desire.

Instead, it was in the middle of the malaise era.

This "Cougar" is a perfect example. An unstylish box, that looks as if it were designed with a straight ruler, that laughably gauche phony radiator grille dwarfed by protruding "picnic bench" bumpers. It's a far cry from the gorgeous '67 Cougar I desired as a teen.
We had new malaise Cougars at work, which I drove, so I was familiar with the build "quality". 

To say I was dismayed is an understatement. I knew then that Detroit was completely moribund and fashion clueless. This, to me at the time, was a car that no young man would have driven proudly- it was for his uncle with the loud tie and plaid sports coat. Especially in red.

[deac]

3 minutes ago, Sal Hepatica said:

After thrilling to new car wonderment year after year in my youth, I finally arrived at a station in life where I could indulge my new car desire.

Instead, it was in the middle of the malaise era.

This "Cougar" is a perfect example. An unstylish box, that looks as if it were designed with a straight ruler, that laughably gauche phony radiator grille dwarfed by protruding "picnic bench" bumpers. It's a far cry from the gorgeous '67 Cougar I desired as a teen.
We had new malaise Cougars at work, which I drove, so I was familiar with the build "quality". 

To say I was dismayed is an understatement. I knew then that Detroit was completely moribund and fashion clueless. This, to me at the time, was a car that no young man would have driven proudly- it was for his uncle with the loud tie and plaid sports coat. Especially in red.

 

To be clear you're not going to even consider buying this car.

[Sal Hepatica]

No, I don't think so!😄

Edited June 23, 2023 by Sal Hepatica (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

I would have been happy with a Cougar like this

if I were buying a car in the 1970's.  I like them today, too.

 

The 1977-1979 Cougars are regularly available in

their top XR7 form, which is their highest-trimmed coupe.

At any time, a few can be found for sale on the internet.

However, other Cougars are almost never seen today:

the lesser-line coupes;  the sedans;  the 1977-only wagons.

 

I'd like to find a 4-door Cougar like this:

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

Sal above didn't find their quality good, but according

to the input of thousands of Consumer Reports readers

for the 1981 Buying Guide issue, the 1977-1979 Cougars

were rated overall "average" and "above average" in reliability.

That's much better than the Corvettes and Camaros of that era.

 

I like the chiseled lines of the late 1970's, and the upright grille.

I would have driven it proudly if I were of car-buying age then.

Do some people dislike Rolls-Royces of any age for their similar

grille treatment?

 

Edited June 23, 2023 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

I like these cars, not enough to buy one though. There were 2 in my HS parking lot, both brand new in 1980. One a friend of mine bought on his own from money he earned working on a farm, the other was a 16th birthday present to a girl. One was metallic silver, the other grey. I liked the grey over the metallic.

[Sal Hepatica]

Yes. Rolls Royce grilles were the nth degree for the phony "classic" radiator, along with Mercedes. In my opinion they're just as silly on them. Mercedes and Rolls sold on prestige, not design.

The ubiquitous ersatz grilles in the seventies were a result of an upright style direction forced by the ungainly 1974 federally mandated 5mph bumpers. Plus a dollop of imitation Mercedes. It was rising especially on the Coasts  as "the" car, as boxy and stodgy as it was- because it was a sturdy automobile. The quality of Detroit was plummeting, no matter what Consumer Reports said, and the public was getting wise.

This Cougar was caught between styling themes. The Granada/Monarch twins were the ultimate Mercedes design clones.

 

[deac]

I like these cars but this one in red bothers me.  The red paint is too blunt against the tan accent.  But for 6 grand and low miles I could tolerate it!