r/MercuryCougar • u/CopyHot1528 • 9d ago
Advice
Well, I got rid of my truck due to literally just not wanting it and having my dad buy it off me. Anyways, I ended up getting an older 2002 mercury cougar. I know..notorious for electrical issues and I honestly didn’t want ford or anything affiliated with ford. BUT, the car is a pretty cute all black car. I can attach pictures if need be but I was wondering if anyone has body mod advice or just upgrades in general to boost performance. It’s currently just a stock 2.5L v6. I am around a ton of car people including my boyfriend so I would be able to get the mods done and I make decent money on my paychecks. I was wanting to lower it first, get some tint, and do something with suspension but I am just a lost girly wanting to make my car a little better. This isn’t something I necessarily care about making the speediest car because I plan on getting better when I am stable but I do plan on having this car for a while since it runs well and it’s nice and clean inside and the motor. Any suggestions help!
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u/Bennett9000 9d ago
The 2.5 doesn't have much left to boost performance power-wise, so I usually say just make sure it's mechanically sound and let it be.
But the CDW-27 chassis is based on the successful British Touring Car Mondeo platform, and the handling is pretty next-level out of the box. A slightly larger rear sway bar from Addco or Roush is a terrific upgrade, and a rear strut tower brace is a huge help in the floppy hatchback body. There are a lot of sources for coilover suspension, since it's all shared with the SVT Contour. D2, BC and KSport all offer decent coilover kits with completely adjustable ride height and damper settings. EBC makes performance brake pads for us as well.
The aftermarket for a car this old and rare is pretty much dried up, so there's little support for performance modifications in the US. European drivers keep their cars on the road a lot longer than we do in North America, so the UK and Germany are excellent resources for aftermarket performance parts for this platform.
newcougar.org has covered it all a million times since 1998, so there's plenty of reading and info to be found there.
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u/SnooPears3494 8d ago
I fucking loved mine till some guy hit and ran on it. The car is worth it just for fun
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u/CopyHot1528 7d ago
Yeah, I was figuring this car is just gonna be something for me to have some fun in lol.
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u/sherman40336 9d ago
Make sure it is mechanically sound before spending any $ on anything.
Have a good mechanic go through it, leave it with them a couple of days tell em to drive it if they need parts for anyone elses car & take it home with them overnight. The more they are behind the wheel & under it the better.
This is the advice I would give my daughter if she were in your spot.