Oh Robb.......
Your parents sound like my kind of people! I love those early Cougars, truly one of the best cars L/M came up with! We had a '51 Mercury Club Coupe until June of 1962, when it was traded for a '57 Chevrolet 210 2 door sedan. Our first "fancy" car was a 1970 Pontiac LeMans 4 door sedan. Other cars were in the picture here.
Dave, the Subaru wagons are very appealing, the 2007 is really spiffy looking.