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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  What a disappointment - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By crossed by the cat - March 30 - 10:00 am

  I have had to had to put so much money into this car and it only has 45k miles on it. At 40k my transmission had to get replaced. at 43k I needed a new alternator. And now at 45k the brakes will hopefully be the last repair I put to this money pit. I am on edmunds to read up on reviews and see if it is possible to trade the kitty in. Ive had it.

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  Dollar to Death - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By dr j - January 24 - 10:00 am

  The QC at ford stinks. The wagon has only 64000 on it and a landry list of reparis. Starting with half shafts, then warped rotors, then the 3rd brake lite flew off, then the vacumn system failed (this means your car will start but not move, fun). Also before the vacumn failed the Service light came on and the yo-yos at the dealership couldnt find the problem. Now the RF window is poping out. What a hunk of junk, my real feelings are R rated!

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  My Last American Car - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Ford Hater Forever - December 22 - 3:06 am

  I bought my car right after my divorce, thinking that I needed a reliable car to drive my kids around, boy was I wrong. The car has left me stranded numerous times with my children in the car. Ive replaced the alternator twice, tied rod ends, wheel bearing 3 times, the check engine light is always on because of a vacuum leak 5 mechanics havent been able to find, I cant get it inspected, Ive put tires on 4 times and it eats brakes, the radio shorts out and the anti freeze light comes on if the antifreeze goes below max level. Im considering parking the car because I owe so much money on it I cant trade and cant afford to drive it

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  Disappointment - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By John - December 5 - 6:10 am

  I have owned a 1995 Explorer and a 2000 Mountaineer. The 2006 is not an improvement but a huge disappointment. The ride is not good, very stiff! Even my 8 year old says his rear hurts after only 15 minutes. The transmission shifts hard and you feel it. There is very noticable jerky feel to the ride when at a steady mph. The 3rd row seats have a hole in them from the metal brackets when the seat is folded. Rear visiblity is very poor due to the headrest not going all the way down to the seat on the 2nd and 3rd row. I wish I kept my 2000 Mountaineer!

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  Cougar - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By nnnnn988 - November 22 - 2:23 pm

  I have had nothing but problems with this car since I bought it. The transmission went out, the moonroof has never worked, the steering column only moves about an inch or so, it is uncomfortable, and does not drive smoothly at all. At this point I have put more money into this car just trying to keep it running than I paid for it. I am looking to get rid of it but the trade in value is practically nothing. I am not happy at all with this car.

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  Dont waste your money - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By mykem1 - October 16 - 10:00 am

  After the first year, the cars mileage worsened and is still horrible today, although the dealers computer assures me I should be getting excellent mileage (now gets 13MPG city and 23MPG Hwy). Car has had multiple recalls, and has been in for faulty airbag. Now a new problem has popped up and it is much nastier (whole front end is shaking and lights all over dash). Car is 2 years old and only has 16,000 miles. Ford outdid themselves this time, my other Fords all went crazy just after 35,000 miles. This one cut that time in half.

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  NO! - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By ptrybk - October 12 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car with 15,000 miles on it 3.5 years ago and today it is junk. It was a constant nightmare. The timing belt, sensors, struts, spoiler, overhead interior lights, broken power windows, and numerous other electrical problems ended up costing a fortune in repairs. Last week cracked gaskets enabled antifreeze to leak into the oil, which totally destroyed the engine. For a car with slightly less than 90,000 miles on it (that has been regularly serviced throughout the years), it ended up being a major disaster. PLEASE think twice if you are considering the "Mistake" as my friends have come to call it.

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  crud - 1999 Mercury Mountaineer
  By sorbain - September 26 - 11:03 pm

  bought our 99 mountaineer about 3yrs ago had nothing but problems since within 6 months the number five injector started fouling repaired dont no how many times and it still fouled.every time time it goes for inspection it needs at least 400 dollars of repair.now just replaced upper ball joint and sway bar now the tire keeps wobbling. i hate this car want it gone thank god its the wifes.

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  Buyer beware - 2005 Mercury Monterey
  By jim - September 9 - 5:56 am

  Hello,7 months ago I bought the van new since then it has had its wheel bearings and hubs replaced under a recall. The front brakes warped at 15000 (90% highway miles) and it was not covered under warranty.they cut the rotors to stop the vibration but because the rotors are so thin they warped again in 2000 miles.I took van to my own mechanic and spent 400 dollars on front rotors and brakes.Now the rear brakes are shot, there goes another $400. I am in sales for the last 15 years and have driven alot of miles on a lot of different vans and I have never had this many problems with any van this soon. BUYER BEWARE!!!! p.s the front windshield just got a stress crack.

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  Drive a lot before buying - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By Not Pleased - August 21 - 8:03 pm

  This is my fourth Ford/Mercury I have owned and also the worst. The gas mileage is fine and was the reason I downsized from an Explorer. But the noise level inside this car is awful. My 10 year old Explorer was a quieter ride than this vehicle. The roads I tested it on near the dealership must have been very smooth. I will never buy another car without going over all types of roads, including bad ones. Please turn every knob to maximum level before buying. Turning heat/AC to anything above the lowest level is very noisy. The dealership says it is normal tire noise when I complain about the noise inside the vehicle. The radio has to be turned up loud to hear over the outside noise.