What's It Worth?

Over the past few months I've been getting a lot of e-mail asking about values of Fox Cougars. I guess since we are at around the 20-year-old mark for most of the Fox cars now, that makes sense. And obviously as time goes on, the values are going to change with market fluctuations.

I'm honored that people ask. That means they trust me and/or my judgment about these cars, and that's fine because let's face it: I live, eat and breathe Cougars. I've done this for about 20 years and don't really see a tangible end in sight.

In my observation, people want to feel that their car is special or unique. They want to believe that thier Cat is somehow different from all the other Cougars manufactured on that same assembly line. Most of all I think people are looking for that magic gauge, that barometer against which they can test their own car for its value. That barometer doesn't exist, I'm afraid...wish it did.

But taking things at face value, a quick search on the Internet will yield the results that most people are seeking. Sites such as Auto Trader, NADA and Kelly's Blue Book should give a good mix of values that, averaged out, will reveal a great overall estimate of your Cougar's value. In general, the bottom has dropped out for overall values and is holding steady. There seems to be little upward value progress at this time.

Yet people want to go beyond that simple black-and-white answer into the sublime. And you know, the more I think about it, the more that some people have that attitude right. Some cars do deserve a second look because you just don't find them in their condition anymore. And I'm not talking a coherent paint job with no rust or dings either.

Case in point: name the last time you saw a 1985 Sage Green Cougar.

What's that? There was no green '85 Cougar? Well, technically that's correct....there were TWO green Cougars in 1985, a Light Sage and a Dark Sage. Bet you didn't realize that. Bet you've never even seen one, let alone heard of one. (You can see a sample of the green colors here).

So what's a 1985 Sage Green Cougar worth? On paper, as much as any other "regular" production Cougar for 1985, one would assume. But in reality, this is probably one of the rarest production mid-1980's Cougars in existence. For one thing, there were two shades of green, and either can be confused with another color at a quick glance (especially if you're red/green colorblind). Both colors were basecoat/clearcoat because of their metallic content. The only interior color available for either green car was Desert Tan, in itself a fairly uncommon interior color for 1985-86. So you have an uncommon exterior color with an uncommon interior color. Now add in the optional leather seating and the V8 and imagine the value. How many of these could have been made?

Let's put it this way: if I found a Sage Green Cougar with leather and a V8, it would quickly find its way into my garage. I can't even hunt up a picture of one for an example! That's how rare it is. If it were a Mustang, those guys would have it up on a pedestal.

Another rarity, documented but never seen by my eyes, is a 1986 Cougar with the factory power moonroof. It is not known if this option ever came to fruition. According to dealership documentation in my possession, the scheduled production date for the power moonroof option was March 3,1986. However, it's not clear if that ever did happen.

If it did, consider this. The typical cut-off point for ordering a new car is usually late May or early June. If that production did indeed start as planned, the power moonroof option would have been available to order for roughly 2 months, maybe 3 tops, and that's it. There may have been previous orders sitting around for a few months as well. Overall, the total number of cars that had a power moonroof would almost certainly have to have been ordered, and total production may have been a few hundred at most. That in itself would be rare indeed.

Now the way Ford installed power moonroofs was very complex. The glass slides into the roof panel, not above it like you see on cheap import cars. To accommodate this, Ford would have had to engineer a completely different roof panel; a new headliner; a new overhead console with map lights and the moonroof switch; new sun visors; a new moonroof motor and mechanism; a sliding sun shade; and a totally new wiring harness for the roof, which would then run down to the fuse panel.

These would be all-new parts, available for a brief period of time, at the very end of a body style, at the end of its last model year. Rare? Oh yeah, you'd better believe it.

Again, if indeed this option made production, a 1986 Cougar with a factory power moonroof would be worth a LOT of money. I recall seeing a NOS roof panel on eBay several years ago for a 1986 Cougar that supposedly had a cutout for the moonroof, although it could have easily been for a pop-up sunroof (which was a regular production option as well). Hard to tell...it was never shown out of the box. One of these days, when we get full documentation and production listings for our cars, we'll know for sure.

Then we have one of the classiest Cats to come along in a long time: the 1987 20th Anniversary Cougar. With only around 5,800 made (a fifth of those going to Canada), and with some groundbreaking parts, one would think these cars would be a highly prized collector's car. Look at the standard features: unique paint, unique wheels, unique Ultrasuede interior, and the first-ever use of gold plating on the exterior trim of a factory production car. There were only a handful of options because all of the good stuff that went on a Cougar--usually reserved for the XR7 model only--was found on a 20th.

But then search for some values and you'll find a very large gap between perceived value and actual listed value. The bottom has totally fallen out of the 20th market. Why? It's hard to discern. The 20th was its own model, but some books list it as a package. That's not correct. It also seems to be difficult to find a low-mileage 20th anywhere, let alone one from the original owner with all paperwork and goodies to go with it. People seem to have driven the hell out of them! And because of the unique parts, and the obvious lack of aftermarket support for these cars, trying to restore one can be a futile effort. In short, it's an awesome car that nearly every Fox Cougar fan loves, but that hardly anyone seems to want to preserve. It has become its own worst enemy, and time isn't being kind either. Let's hope that attitude changes in the next few years.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, those cars that have virtually no options are technically rare. We like to think of these cars as luxury oriented, and they were, but by no means did all of them have creature comforts. Have you ever seen a 1985 Cougar GS (base) with no power seats/mirrors/windows/locks, no a/c, no radio, no passenger side rearview mirror, and basic hubcaps? Believe me, they existed. Remember that when these cars were new, they did cost more than the GM G-body competition. In order to entice potential buyers, sometimes dealerships would order a plain-Jane, stripped down base model with a V6 and few, if any, options to keep pricing competitive. Also at this time, a then-new concept of the radio delete package for credit was offered. This would provide block-off plates for both the radio slot and the antenna on the fender. And even though the top-of-the-line XR7 was King of Cats in 1987 and 1988, even that model did not have standard power windows. I find it rather amusing to see bare-bones XR7's with crank-down windows, but not everyone wanted them or needed them. Over the past few years we've kept tabs on bare-bones stripped down models on eBay auctions via the message boards, and it never ceases to amaze anyone how truly basic these cars could be. Certainly a car with no options isn't something you run across every day, therefore it would be a pretty uncommon find. I doubt that the value would be increased because of this, but it would always be a novel conversation piece!

And of course, we can't forget the ubiquitous Cougar convertibles. While they are theoretically rare--and a lot of people consider them to be the "holy grail" of Fox Cougars--they were never factory cars. All of them were chopped by aftermarket companies. Yet they are holding their values nicely, perhaps in no small part to my perpetual anecdotes about them on this site--after all, ownership does have its privileges. And if you're into uncommon, sort of goofy-looking modified cars, then a Fox Cougar convertible is something to strive for. As of this writing, it is the most valuable Fox Cougar available (well, unless you count the hacked-up-Cougar-turned-Tiffany Classic Coupe, but that's a different story altogether!). It seems to be much easier to find one now as well, much easier than in years past. Sad thing is, it appears that there are a lot of sellers but relatively few buyers. That's too bad...we need responsible owners to preserve them for the future.

So it all boils down to this: what is your car worth?

Money-wise, probably not much.

But you always measure its worth by how your heart feels. And that, in the end, is what will always make your car hold its value.

Until next time,

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