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Topic: I hate it when..... (Read 933 times) previous topic - next topic

I hate it when.....

someone tries to sell a '97 on E-bay or Auto Trader and lists it as a 30th Anniversary Edition when it's not.
Do they seriously think they can get more money for it just because they say it's a 30th?

This is probably the 4th one I've seen that was listed as a 30th just because it was a '97.

Do they do this with the '87s also???
:cougarsmily:~Karen~

I hate it when.....

Reply #1 –
No, it seems to be just a '97 phenomenon. The problem seems to be multi-part:

- 1997 was the 30th anniversary of the Cougar marque; therefore, it may be natural to ASSume that all 1997 Cougars were 30ths, which is not the case.

- The 30th package was, for the first time, planned well ahead of the 1997 model year launch and was actually printed in the sales brochure at the beginning of the model year. This is "proof" of the existence of the special model, but if someone just glances over the brochure, they might get the impression that they all were an anniversary model.

- There were 4 official colors for the 30th, but only one is specified in the brochure (the other 3 were added later in a special dealer-only 1-page flyer). This makes proving other official colors difficult.

- Lincoln-Mercury has extensive training about new models for all of their salespeople. However, once the new car becomes a used car, then all that training doesn't mean squat to an untrained sales monkey. Simply put, the used car salesman might not know about the 30th model as being unique. And if he does search a little on Auto Trader, he'll see a bunch of 1997 Cougars marked as 30th models. So if he lists his '97, what do you think he'll try to sell it as...? Unfortunately this practice has been going on for over a decade with no recourse.

- It's simply human nature to assume, and to list things without doing any relevant homework. Hearsay goes a long way in the auto selling business.

So there is some confusion about the 30th Cougar unless you're "in the know" about them. I've gone to great lengths to clarify the situation on my site because people like to link to that page on eBay if they're selling a 30th. Hopefully it has helped somewhat. But there will always be someone trying to make a mountain out of a molehill, and try to pass off a 1997 as a 30th without caring one bit. And there will always be a sucker willing to fall for it. That's used cars for ya. :hick:

I hate it when.....

Reply #2 –
hehhee... guess who referred him to the CC page for 30th Anniv's??  ;)
:cougarsmily:~Karen~

I hate it when.....

Reply #3 –
Quote
When I ran the CARFAX, it came up as a 30th anniversary edition, that is why I listed it as such.

DING DING DING! Trusting only one source, eh? And if that source is incorrect, so are you.

B-B-B-BUSTED.

I hate it when.....

Reply #4 –
LOL.... well at least he now knows.... hopefully he can fix it.

But he did thank me for letting him know.
:cougarsmily:~Karen~

I hate it when.....

Reply #5 –
That is true...however, that's only one seller that knows the truth now. How do we fix the rest of them? ;)

There is nothing in the VIN that should trigger a 1997 Cougar as being a 30th. The 30th cars were built right on the line, in with all the "normal" 1997's, with only the interior bits, badging and wheels being the major differences between the models. But it's not like there weren't other special edition models also thrown into the mix (Sport, Luxury Appearance). In other words, the assembly line was flexible enough to accommodate different models concurrently. If there was a niche line building just the 30ths, then I could see a different VIN configuration being possible. But that wasn't ever the case to the best of my knowledge.

So...Carfax might just be the culprit here. That would explain why the error has gone unchecked for a decade.

Hmmm...do I really want to start a dialogue with Carfax about this...?

I hate it when.....

Reply #6 –
Quote
The POWERFUL yet ECONOMICAL 3.8L V6, V Style Engine comes with Fuel Injection!!!


OK......... am I loosing it, or did Mercury sell a N/A 3.8L XR7?:wtf:

I hate it when.....

Reply #7 –
Ok, so I decided to do a little research just to see what info I could find on the 30th.... it's amazingly easy to find the info, and CC is listed 3rd in the google search for the information.
But, I found the following, and it's very interesting.

In the NHTSA frontal Crash Test, the '97s earned 5 stars for both driver's side and passenger side.
MPG was/is
       
4-Speed Automatic Overdrive : (3.8L 145 hp V6) 18 / 26 mpg    
(4.6L 205 hp V8) 17 / 25 mpg

reviews for this car:
    9.1         Overall Rating     
   9.1      Styling   
   8.9      Performance   
   9.1      Interior   
   8.9      Quality   
   9.2      Recommendation   

Overall reliability was good. There are occasional problems with the MAF sensor and the PCM (Powertrain Control Module).
:cougarsmily:~Karen~

I hate it when.....

Reply #9 –
62
:cougarsmily:~Karen~

I hate it when.....

Reply #10 –
OK, that pretty much proves it then. The car listed in your eBay link is also 62 (body code), and we know it's not a 30th. But we do know that the 30th Anniversary Edition was a package added to an XR7 model. So unless there's a way to tell from the last 6 digits of the VIN (and I don't think there is), then all 1997 Cougar XR7s should have been listed under the 62 body code. If this holds true for all models then there would therefore be no way to differentiate an XR7 from a 30th Anniversary Edition by just looking at the VIN alone. That might also be true of the Luxury Appearance Edition and the Sport Edition, depending on what their body code is in the VIN.

That means that Carfax's database is indeed wrong.

I hate it when.....

Reply #11 –
Ahh.... so Carfax needs to change the way they have their information written.

As for starting a dialog with them over it... most of the people selling the cars use them as a reliable source. If they are incorrect with their information, they are causing people to falsely advertise their cars as something they are not.
:cougarsmily:~Karen~