Mark has been on vacation for barely a day, but WOW do I miss him. I’m sure you do, too. I’m on Showdown duty until next Thursday, and I gotta say, Mark sure makes it look effortless. If I can do one third as good a job, I’ll consider myself a huge success.
As for our last Showdown, it sure looks like y’all were focused on the Focus, by about 1.5:1. I thought for sure the 4Runner would come out on top, being a Toyota and a cool one at that, but I guess you weren’t Oh-What-A-Feeling it. That bright-yellow Focus does look like a bunch of fun, though, so I get it.
For me, it’s the 4Runner. I feel like 240,000 miles on a Toyota V6 are less of a liability than 168,000 on the Focus’s inline-four, and the 4Runner can haul a lot more stuff, so there ya go.
Today, I invite you to consider two cars that I can just hear you telling me are, in fact, the same. And indeed, they kinda are. The tenth-gen Thunderbird and seventh-gen Cougar are both MN12 platform mates that rolled out on the same 113-inch wheelbase and, in these examples, both are equipped with 3.8-liter Ford Essex V6s out of Canada and wearing Eaton M90 superchargers. And colors aside, you’d be hard-pressed to say which interior belongs to which car. But certainly no one would mistake the Thunderbird SC for the Cougar XR-7 (or vice versa), and I’m betting you’d rather have one more than the other – and not just because one has a stick.
1991 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe – $5,950
Engine/drivetrain: 3.8-liter supercharged OHV Essex V6, automatic, RWD
Location: Arlington, TX
Odometer reading: 75,000
Operational status: “Runs good but it needs all tuneup and some work on it but is drivable.”
Man, I sure liked the Super Coupe when it arrived in 1989, and I still like it today. No disrespect to the Fox-body aerobird that preceded it (of which I’m also a fan), but the taut lines of the tenth-gen Thunderbird still hold up today, whereas the ninth-gen definitely looks like more of a transitional missing link – to me, at least. Still handsome though, just not as handsome as this final Thunderbird. As in the final one that I care about, I’ve memory-wiped the 2002 retro mess.
The MN12 Thunderbird was initially offered only with Essex V6 power, producing a meager 140 horsepower in naturally aspirated trim. Going with the Super Coupe got you the Eaton supercharger, which boosted output to a much healthier 210 horsepower. Of course, the example here must be putting out more like 220 horsepower, because it’s got that sweet aftermarket air filter setup. That’s at least ten horsepower right there, amirite? Totally. Any gains are no doubt wasted by the 4-speed automatic gearbox, but who’s counting?
The interior is looking pretty Spartan by modern personal luxury coupe standards, but I’m sure it was fine by early-90s drivers, and the all-business look befits the sporty Thunderbird – better to save the real luxury for the Mercury version.
Everything looks to be in nice shape, unsurprising for 75,000 miles in what appears to be a well-cared-for car, even if it does need “all tuneup and some work” as the seller states.
That said, the cheesy air intake, high-school-kid wheels, and lowered suspension make me wonder how hard the T-Bird’s been living for the most recent of its 75,000 miles.
1990 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Coupe 2D – $5,900
Engine/drivetrain: 3.8-liter supercharged Essex OHV V6, 5-speed manual, RWD
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Odometer reading: 14,277
Operational status: “Runs and drives well.”
The seventh-gen Mercury Cougar retained the broad strokes of the previous Fox-body car’s aerodynamic rounding-over and near-vertical back glass, but the new M21-platform car was clearly a leaner, cleaner design. I recall thinking these things looked pretty good back in the day, but they definitely gave off grandparent vibes to a cool teen like myself.
Here’s that supercharged Essex V6 again, but wearing the stock intake – clearly, none of the previous owners knew the Secrets of Horsepower, those suckers.
As is befitting a luxurious grand tourer, this Cougar gets leather seats and a very red interior, which I love but only ironically. The seats look awfully worn for a mere 14,277 miles, but that’s what shows on the six-digit odometer in the ad. You’d have to go a million miles to roll that odo over, and this car has certainly not done that, so I guess it’s legit. That, or the odometer stopped working a long time ago.
Other than a few aluminum-looking panels and all that red, the Cougar’s interior scarcely looks any more luxurious or different at all than the T-Bird’s. You do get motorized-door-track seatbelts though, that’s fun. And look, there between the seats, there’s something we can all get behind. No, not the parking brake, the 5-speed manual gearbox (by Mazda, no less). That surely extracts more fun from those 210 supercharged horses compared to the T-Bird’s slushbox.
Am I the only one who thinks this looks like a short-bed ute wearing a body-color tonneau cover? Now that would be cool.
I don’t know about you, but I’m torn here. I’ll generally take a Thunderbird over a Cougar in this era, but when it comes to these two particular cars, the Cougar’s low miles, manual gearbox, and apparently stock configuration make it the safer bet. But the Super Coupe just looks nggggg (that’s me biting my hand), and it’s red, and I want it. It can’t be that hard to undo the lowering job and find a set of factory alloys, can it?
I voted for the Merc because I’ve had an SC (with the 5-speed) for a brief, glorious month until some careless idiot rear-ended it. It was a great car and don’t be deceived by the spartan look of the interior – it is full of goodies.
There’s a big HOWEVER here, though. These cars are complicated and not for a casual wrencher. That “tune up” that the SC needs? Not simple. Not even close. Also the head gaskets on these V6’s are ticking time bombs. I did live in constant fear of needed regular maintenance done that nobody wanted to handle. I also carry a ton of guilt for daily driving my SC (a very well-preserved example of a fairly rare car) and giving it a pretty sad ending.
So I was close to opting out on this one, but the Mercury is a rare find with the 5-speed and would be a lot of fun until something terminal broke.
Also, don’t expect a lot of fun quick shifting out of that 5-speed. It’s the Mazda truck transmission. It’s still fun, but you need to put your arm into it.
The white one. The wheels and tires look more normal, it has the correct number of pedals, and it has lower miles.
I guess the manual and not needing “all tuneup and some work”.
Man, the manual is definitely tempting and I suppose the Grandma styling of the Merc would perhaps make it a sleeper, but I just can’t. It is still only 90’s quick, and the Thunderchicken is the better looking suppository here.
That odometer in the Cougar can’t be right, can it?
ThunderCougarFalconBird!
Maaaan, as badly as I want the manual one, that Red Super Coupe is just too clean looking.
I do love the looks of the Thunderbird way more than the Cougar. I think the manual, less miles, and no modifications are what swayed me to the Cougar. I love the red interior too, but unironically.
For a car like this, an automatic is not a deal breaker. The good transmission is locked behind appliance white paint and I prefer the T-bird design over the Mercury; the grill ruins the look. Oh but the T-Bird has those terrible tires and has been slammed to the ground. I guess when pushed, I would vote for the Bird.
I’ve always liked Cougars, and the manual makes this one an even easier choice.
Meownual!
This is a tough one. The Thunderbird looks fantastic, especially with the Cobra R wheels, whereas the Mercury has always been a disappointment to me in the looks department. BUT, the red interior is my jam, as is the manual transmission. Decisions, decisions…T-Bird, for the looks.
I’ll go with the Merc to avoid FoMoCo automatic transmission bugbears, but really given my druthers I’d take both of these and trade them as a package for a single manual-equipped Thunderbird Turbo Coupe with a manual. That is a far more desirable ride.
I’ll go for the Cougar. Mouse-belts are the worst, but that manual transmission seals the deal. Plus, it hasn’t been messed with; lowered suspensions often only make things worse.
That T-Bird/Cougar platform was pretty good, though larger than it needed to be.
I rented a Cougar like this to drive from Northern Va to Ocean City Maryland for the weekend once, and it was a great car for a road trip. The manual in this one would add to the enjoyment!
The red one has the most harmonic front and body design, so I’ll have to live with the lowering and the hiphop wheels I guess.
I gotta disagree. First off, this thing ain’t fast. It’s got 200HP if it’s lucky. This isn’t a car you take to takeovers, the drag strip, or autocrossing. Even the door jambs are clean. The seller is wearing jorts. I doubt this thing was getting neutral dropped like a rental Altima. Second, this is mostly tasteful. The intake is likely for SC whine. Who doesn’t want SC whine in an SC car? Gimme that induction noise. The wheels look…fine. Not my style, but they’re not plasti-dipped and not 26’s. Who cares. Lastly, it looks great lowered. That thing had a fender gap big enough to put a Christmas ham in from the factory. Some Eibach springs are a must.
IMO that’s one hell of a ride to bring to Radwood for $5,500 after you talk the seller down.
I love the T-Bird, but the Mercury looks less disturbed under the hood.
Mercury for me because of the manual… though I wish it didn’t have those stupid mouse-motor belts.
Save the Manuals! Cougar it is for me today.
Excellent choices, Peter.
I’ll take the Tbird. Love that body style.
I’d return the suspension to stock, which is an undertaking I’d normally not bother with but worth it to avoid those motorized seat belts.
I’m pretty sure the T-Bird has motorized belts as well. They’re essentially the same car.
Both cars had them until the 94 model year, I believe.