Overview & Reviews

Mercury was a division of Ford Motor Company marketed as being somewhat more upscale than Ford. Throughout the latter part of its 71-year history, Mercury's vehicles were essentially Fords with unique styling details and special features meant to enhance their desirability relative to similar Ford products.

It all started in the 1930s, when Edsel Ford, Henry Ford's son, saw an opportunity to create an additional brand within the Ford hierarchy, one that would exist between the everyman Ford Deluxes and premium Lincoln Zephyrs. To achieve this, Edsel felt the vehicles of this new brand should offer distinctive styling along with innovative features and better capabilities. He named the new division "Mercury," after the Roman mythological god. The 1939 Mercury Eight was the division's first car. It distinguished itself from similar Ford products via a 95-horsepower engine that offered 10 more horses than the Ford V8.

The Eight proved to be a hit, with more than 155,000 sold by the early 1940s. Production stopped during World War II; after the war, the brand was realigned more closely with Lincoln. The company grew from strength to strength in the '50s, establishing itself as a maker of vehicles offering style, performance and cutting-edge technology. A dash of glamour was added to the automaker's image when James Dean appeared onscreen in a Mercury in the film Rebel Without a Cause.

The 1960s saw the introduction of Mercury's Comet and Meteor vehicles. The Comet featured diminutive dimensions and luxury accoutrements, while the Meteor was a midsize family car that followed the trend toward more reasonably sized cars. Racetrack wins boosted awareness of the Comet and helped the model make a big splash in terms of sales. By the end of the decade, the iconic Mercury Cougar, a variation of the Mustang, had been rolled out, its Eliminator version taking its place in the pantheon of legendary early muscle cars.

Hit hard by that decade's oil crisis, consumers during the 1970s were hungry for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Mercury responded with a new, smaller Comet and the Bobcat, the former a fancier version of the Ford Maverick, the latter a fancier version of the Ford Pinto. The brand's sales grew during a decade that was filled with turbulence and uncertainty for many competing marques. Mercury further expanded its lineup in the '80s, this time including the small, Ford Escort-based Lynx. Mercury enjoyed success with the 1986 launch of the Sable, a fraternal twin to the Ford Taurus whose sleek, aerodynamic lines and futuristic "light bar" front end styling set it apart from the Ford.

Mercury's sales hit an all-time high during the 1990s that would never again be matched. Minivans and SUVs were a big reason for that as Mercury introduced its Villager minivan and Mountaineer SUV. Late that decade it introduced a new Cougar, which differed from its predecessors by being a front-drive sport compact that also holds the distinction of being the last Mercury that wasn't a rebadged Ford.

The years following the new millennium were challenging for the brand, as changing consumer tastes and a lack of differentiation between Mercury and Ford vehicles hurt sales. Pundits often proclaimed the end of Mercury was near, but Ford kept stating it would keep Mercury around despite offering no hope for any unique future vehicles from the brand. Finally in 2010, Ford pulled the plug on Mercury, putting an end to more than 70 years of car-making heritage.

User Reviews:

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  2 ton of fun! - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By drjjjj - December 9 - 6:54 pm

  Ford F150 engine, drive train and frame with car body! Very reliable, cheap to maintain, upscale in out and 20mpg on regular! 2003+ are the best years-big changes in suspension & steering! Dirt cheap to buy used now and they stopped making them in 2011! May have baby boomer demand coming-sleeper used car?? They make driving relaxed and there is no substitute for a V8, long wheelbase and 4000 lbs of quiet ,mass on a long freeway trip!

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  A lot for the money - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By brummiejim - November 30 - 10:00 am

  We bought this car a month ago. I wnated an American car with leather interior, sun roof, a reasonably powerful 6 cyl. engine that ran on regular unleaded, reasonable gas milage, and w/a good size trunk. We got it in the Sable LS model, plus zero % financing for 60 months. Time will tell how it will hold up, but Im feeling pretty good about the whole thing at this point.

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  Its Okay - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By EP - November 21 - 7:40 am

  Ive had our Mariner for 5 months and its okay. Im tall and I have plenty of head and leg room. The exterior looks great, and it does good on poor road conditions. However, the back latch went out after only 3,000 miles...not impressive. The center console is structurally weak. If I push it from the side a little, it will deflect and creak. You must memorize the cruise control buttons if you use them at night because they are not lighted. Overall, it is a good looking car with poor quality.

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  Love this car - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By MJH22 - November 8 - 10:26 am

  I bought this car as my second vehicle when i was 17. I have now had it for over a year and i love the car. it has more power than i expected from a small car. it gets me where i want to go without any problems. Since i got the car i have only had to make some minor repairs. New tires, and i had to replace the rear bearings on the driver side. good sound system. lots of comfort in the front. the back is slightly crammed but the bucket seats are fun to sit in. overall i would recommend this car.

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  A 2003 Mercury Gr. Marq. review - 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By W. Shideler - November 6 - 9:40 am

  With all its looks, the dusgusting thumps, bumps and grinding wheel noises (dealer says tire is noise cause; he shyed away from:which tire is it?) its a much improved driving experience. I believe the noise is ignored for business reasons. It is disturbing and I will have an independent garage check it out.

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  Buying American Again - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By Robert - November 5 - 12:20 am

  Have owned 2 Honda Accords in the last decade. Both were very reliable. Test drove Sonata, Fusion and Milan. All were nice quiet ride. The Fusion and Milan had the better combination of ride and comfort. I opted for the Milan because it had the best combination of options that I was looking for. The 2.5 liter engine matched with the 6 speed automatic works well. I have put on over 1000 miles in the first week. Mileage was acceptable at 29.6 mpg. Interstate driving at 65-80 mph with AC on for a majority of the trip. Because of time constraints I was unable to get Sync functional, but am looking forward to it. Overall a very nice car. Hope initial quality continues.

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  Nice small SUV for the price - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Noel - November 3 - 7:43 am

  A comfortable small SUV with great traction in the snow. It performs well and has good around town MPG

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  97 Mountaineer - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By grigsby3 - November 2 - 10:00 am

  I drove a few other similar cars but none had the comfort of the power leather seats with adjustable lumbar support.The next consideration was the performance of its 5.0 litre V-8. I havent experieinced that much acceleration in quite a few years ( and this together with good highway mileage).I have had very few problems- the only one I recall is that the "check engine" light will come on for awhile and then go off and then come on again.

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  Fun Ride, Reasonable Price, Enuff luxury - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By AnarchusTheElder - November 2 - 10:00 am

  At 51 years old, I needed a fun car that wouldnt make it impossible to send my kids to college. I did a lot of research and the Merc Cougar came out on top. Not the fastest or most prestigious, but, to me, the best toy for the $$. V6, 24 valves, full power, perfect fit for my 57" frame. All this with 30mpg on the open road. It corners better than any of my other cars, and makes me feel like I am in control.

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  Sable - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By gunsnrods - October 29 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased a used 2003 Sable that is only six months old. This car was loaded with equipment, 15,000 miles, Ford Certified for 75,000 miles, price out the door $11,600 plus tax. Its a great car for the $$, I paid almost this much for a car twenty years ago without the safety equipment and bells and whistles this car has...