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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  On its final legs for trade-in ;-( - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Robert - February 29 - 10:49 am

  I owned the Mariner new in 2006. I had only one problem while it was still under warranty and it was the lift gate door window lock. Around the 148K mark, I had ongoing repairs list. I had the ignition coils on two cylinders go and plus the computer go bad which caused the short. This was two years ago and cost me about 2K. Along the way till now I had exhaust leak, power steering pump replacement, two ball joints and three battery replacements. This weekend, the #1 cylinder was miss-firing and took it to the mechanic for repairs. He found a low pressure reading on the cylinder head and replaced the spark-plugs. He also cleaned the valve heads and it regained compression in the cylinder. Two days later, I get the code for a bad ignition coil on number 4 and a bad computer again. It is now time to say good bye to the beloved Mercury Mariner. I had a great running truck for the last 10 years and it lasted pretty long with the general preventive maintenance schedule. FYI Never got stuck in the snow in Philadelphia.

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  I Love My Cougar! - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Lizzy - February 28 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! I was a little disappointed with the engine, I figured a car that sporty looking would have an equally sporty engine. Ive heard that the Cougar has acceleration problems. I guarantee you that everyone who says that drives an automatic. I have the I4 engine and I have never had problem accelerating. Get the manual! But this car is unique, and you dont see too many of them out there, making me just that much prouder of my car!

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  Nice car but ride could be improved - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Edward Briggs - February 28 - 10:00 am

  Air Conditioner worked great. 8 way power seat and back lumbar kept me from getting fatigued on I-95 Plenty of power from 4.6 liter V-8 allowed us to merge safely. Plenty of trunk space for our luggage. Smooth ride on Interstate but a little herky jerky on secondary roads. Plenty of cabin room for us to stretch out 4 speed auto tranny shifted great. I like the outside buttons on the drivers door, in case you lock your keys inside. Spare tire is steel full size rim, and you can use it when you rotate wheels. Remote control from key ring is convienient to lock and unlock trunk lid and doors. Headlights give ample candle power at night driving.

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  Not a bad van - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By shaglaptop - February 22 - 10:00 am

  Not a bad liitle van. Must say that I do not care for American vehicles and only bought this van because I needed one, this was the only van available in my price range. Havent looked back since. Couple of trips across the US, plus the half-dozen to grandmas house. Wish there was a little bit more cargo space, but moving the rear seat up one-notch does the trick.

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  98 Grand Marquis - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By george49024 - February 19 - 6:34 pm

  I bought the car for $2000 with 86,000 miles on it. Great car. At about 118k the plastic intake got a crack in it causing the engine to quickly over heat and warp the heads. This is a problem with these motors. You can look it up on the net. The same motors are found in the Crown Vics and the 8cy mustangs. I replaced the motor with another one with about 118k on it which I replaced with a after market intake manifold made out of aluminum instead of plastic. It ran until about 136k it was totaled in a 5 car highway accident during a ice storm. I took kidding about it being a "grandpa" car but I loved the car. Would buy again but replace the intake manifold. Best 2 grand ever spent.

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  So far so good. - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By pjy - February 13 - 11:43 am

  Good all around car, great bang for the buck. I bought it 2yrs old with 20k for 10k. Only replaced the wiper moter and the battery. When it is time to replace the tires go with the best tires you can afford it will make a world a differnce

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  Last American Car - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By D Vegas - February 12 - 8:23 pm

  Bought my 2nd one in 2004. Racked up 70,000 miles on the first one with no major issues. Paint does scratch easily on both years. Does not handle like a large platform, long wheel base provides the ride. Dual tuned exhaust provides the sound. Dual overhead cam power plant provides the mid range power.It is a bit slow of the line for a 300+ HP. Fortunately a number of houses provide some power enhancements for the vehicle for kid in us. I am somewhat a younger Marauder owner and would have preferred a better sound package and IP. Cup holders are not very good, like you get a chance to use them when hot rodding. Will bring you in to the dark side. High tire expense. Gas mileage is excellent

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  Precertified 08 Sable - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By RON TURNER - February 12 - 2:30 am

  I own a 2008 Ford Expedition EL, although I love the vehicle its extremely harsh on gas. Im averaging 10 mpg. Mostly I do alot of in town driving, so I decided to pickup something more fuel efficient and not drive my Expedition as much. I purchased a precertified 2008 Mercury Sable with about 14,000 miles. Ive had it for a little over a month. I love the car. Its spacious on the inside and my three kids ages 15, 12 & 5 have plenty of room in the back seat.The car came out of the rental fleet and Im dealing with an alignment issue, but other than that Im pleased with the car. I like it so well that Im already thinking 3 to 4 years down the road taking a serious look at the new Taurus

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  Better than expected after 6000 miles - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By Almon - February 10 - 1:50 am

  Tested the Honda and Toyota competition. The Merecury ride, comfort, safety, performance are very competitive. The price is much better with incentives. I am over six foot and 240 lbs and I am very comfortable. Rides great at 80 mph on the interstate. Gettting 18 mpg in town and 24+ highway. Terrific interior and dash design. No defects or problrms at the 5000 mile service. Very satisfied with dealer service so far. So many features and good quality for the price. Rear seat flips and folds easily with one hand. I recommend this vehicle

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  I loved it while i had it - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Great First Car - February 8 - 1:30 pm

  I recently just purchesed a new car so no longer have this car but while i had it i had a great time. I received the car as a grad gift 2 years ago and from the date i got it til the day i traded it i loved this car! I did have the leak issue that everyone else did but it was a blast to drive & with the after-market exhaust I added it really turned heads!