20th Cougar

Topic: 20th Cougar (Read 1677 times) previous topic - next topic

20th Cougar

February 25, 2015, 05:49:26 PM

Ok, I have this old guy that lives about 2 miles away that has a 20th anniversary Cougar with the gold wheels. He has it up for sale again....last time I thought I would stop and look at it since it looks ok from the road and he'll, these things are getting hard to find these days. We shot the poo for a hour as I looked the car car over. Rusted drivers side sail panel which provided a trunk full of possible rust holes, but fairly clean none the less. Come to find out it is a 1 owner, has all documentation and even includes order form from Mercury. This was his wife's first and only new car and she died a few years ago. He hits me with $2700 right off the bat, I come in at 1300 since it has a rusted through sail panel, he gets completely out of shape. I'm low balling him since these are a special edition and it is in stellar condition, blah, blah, blah. I say if it's in such stellar condition, then climb in the trunk and I will only spray that one spot with his hose and he can see if it leaks.
He again gets bent and asks me to leave.
Car has been sitting for sale 3-4 times in the past 4 years and I was wondering if it would be worth looking at again. Anyone want a 20th Coog for this price with a rusted through sail panel and Swiss cheese trunk. It is rare, agreed....but how many people are lined up to buy it? When did rare mean worth a lot? Is a 1973 Gremlin X worth a lot, no.

20th Cougar

Reply #1 – February 25, 2015, 06:03:19 PM

Sounds like he has barret jackson syndrome. I have a few rare cars collecting rust in my parts car inventory, the aren't especially valuable, but are valuable for parts...

20th Cougar

Reply #2 – February 25, 2015, 06:07:09 PM

well, that's the nature of the beast,,
with elderly, its not something I think I would say to ask to prove the trunk leaks.. yet his reality isn't really what is real.

2700 would be in better shape, yet you don't post pics of the car either so hard to say

20th Cougar

Reply #3 – February 25, 2015, 06:33:38 PM

I ran into that years ago with a 20th. I actually posted details about it here, but a quick recap: The 20th is sitting at a local used car shop for at least a year before I go look at it. When I do, I see the inspection had expired a year ago, meaning it's been sitting there for at least two years. Guy's asking $3500. Car has a cheap repaint. Bottom of both doors are bondo. Interior is well worn. Exhaust is leaking. I offer him $1500, he gets all bent out of shape. I told him I'd be back in a year or so with a lower offer. I drove away.

Two years later, car still there. I'd just sold my '87 Sport and was looking to buy again, so I pull in. The owner of the lot comes out, I mentioned the previous experience, and he remembers. He says "Yeah. I'll take $1500 now". I offered him $500, pointing out that the car would need all new brakes, brake lines, the fuel tank flushed, probably every gasket on the engine, and another repaint due to fallout damage from a nearby coal fired power plant (not to mention new doors to replace the bondo'd originals). He got all bent out of shape again, and I told him: If he'd accepted a reasonable offer two years prior we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I left again. I bought the '88 T-Bird mentioned in my sig instead. That Cougar sat there for at least another 5 years, and may even still be sitting there for all I know (I haven't been to that area of town in years). Such a waste...

*EDIT* By the way, this was so long ago that my first post about it was back in the EZBoard days...

20th Cougar

Reply #4 – February 25, 2015, 06:53:38 PM

That's terrible, this one will have the same fate, I'm sure.

20th Cougar

Reply #5 – February 25, 2015, 07:30:50 PM

Those types of sellers are just as bad as the folks who let a car sit out in a fence row for 40 years..."yup..one of these days, me 'n old billy bob are gonna restore it." 15 years goes by...the car is still there...10 inches deeper in the dirt and with a tree growing through the goded hood.

20th Cougar

Reply #6 – February 26, 2015, 08:51:04 PM

Agreed!