I arrived at the house and the seller came out to greet me. I judged him to be a few years older than me. He opened the gate to the back yard. I started to walk around the car to get a closer look.
This 1968 Mercury Cougar was in poor shape, but not beyond saving. The seller advised he had bought the car in impulse from a guy from Arkansas on eBay. However, the title was still a Missouri title. The seller claims the Cougar has been off the road for 18 years. This certainly seems plausible. The car still had an old Missouri personal property tax sticker in the window as well as some wasp nests under the hood. The were signs of cracking bondo where previous repairs had been done and signs of a repaint.
Overall, the Cougar was not beyond all hope, but did need some serious attention. The inner fender aprons needed replaced on the front. As stated the driver side front floorboard needed immediate attention as did another spot I found on the passenger side in the rear footwell. The top had signs on decay due to a vinyl top and the lip above the back window was starting to separate. The front subrail frame rail on the passenger side needed to be replaced as well. The trunk on either side of the gas tank needed to be patched. Other than that, if that's not enough for you the body was decent shape.
The interior was okay, but dirty. All of the original elements were intact including the seats, dash, steering wheel, gauges, and door panels. The driver seat was ripped but the rest of the seats were in good shape. The headliner was gone and the dash pad was cracked. The door panels were in very good shape, but had been cut for speakers. The carpet would need to be replaced due to floor damage and age.
This car would need at least $5,000 to $7,000 to be a driver and over $12,000 to be a show car.
Options:
Power steering
Disc brakes
Automatic transmission
Decor interior
VIN: 8F91F568346
Data plate: 65a T 2a 13e 42 5 W
