The best of the worst? 43K mile 1982 Cougar

These days, a lot of people think very little of the 1983 Cougar and Thunderbird – especially those under 35 or so.  They don’t remember just how bad the 1980 to 1982 cars had gotten before the ’83 full model change.

Not only was the 1980 to 1982 Cougar a largely style-less box, but that generation involved continued ill-fated attempts at Cougar sedans and wagons and lame four- and six-cylinder engines vs. the V8-only Cougars of the previous generations.  Further, the ill-fated, craptastic 4.2L V8 came on board for a short time.

The 1983 Thunderbird (AKA ‘bathtub’ or ‘aero’ bird) launched 80s aerodynamic styling for Ford and was much more attractive overall, although the T-Bird has aged much better than the notchback Cougar.  Notably, this was three years before the much-hyped Taurus and Sable brought related styling to the mid-sized sedan segment.

What we have here might just be the best 1982 Cougar remaining, complete with landau roof.  Of course, this begs the question why and now makes the car oddly tempting as a time capsule.

Click for eBay ad
South Hamilton, MA
$1,085 with 6 bids and reserve not met
Update: Ended at $2,550 with 17 bids and reserve not met

This isn’t the ugliest car, but it’s painfully boring and tries too hard to look “substantial” and 70s…

Again – not offensively ugly, but amazingly boring.

Ad text:

1982 Mercury Cougar XR7, Pastel French Vanilla with matching vinyl top and matching velour interior. The car is equipped with 4.2 V8, automatic overdrive, A/C that blows cold,P.S.,P.B. cruise,tilt and wire wheel covers. Vehicle has 43,000 original miles and runs and drives great and everything works as it should. This generation Cougar in this condition is hard to find. This is the last year of this body style.