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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  dont buy one - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By mjofvending - May 30 - 10:00 am

  needed all four wheel brakes at 22000 miles.Ford says"Thats the way there built" Noisey Lots of wind noise seems like poor design. Very large to handle inthe city. Not a great paint job

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  Dont even think about it! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Give Up! - May 2 - 10:00 am

  Headache is the first word that comes to mind. I have the car in the shop at least every third month. You always think that this is the last time but... wrong again. Catalytic convertor replaced at 25000, ignition replaced, fuel guage/pump replaced, tyerod bolt snapped off, security system locked up twice and of course wiring is not covered under the Extra Care warranty that I bought to cut expenses. To top it off, the resale value is pathetic!!!

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  02 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By drewny - April 28 - 5:48 pm

  AVOID THIS VEHICLE... I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE WITH 137,000 MILES ON IT. I PUT IN NEW BATTERY NEW HUBS , NEW WHEEL BEARINGS ,HAD TO REPLACE ENTIRE CRUSE CONTROL SYSTEM AND AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM, AFTER PUTTING 4 NEW TIRES ON IT , ALTENATOR GOES AND I NEED A 2ND NEW BATTERY. WHILE DRIVE N DOWN ROAD DOOR AJAR LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND INTERIOR LIGHT WOULD FLICKER ON AND OFF DOOR AJAR LIGHT WOULD BEEP OVER AND OVER.. THE FRONT WHEEL BEARING I HAD REPLACED 4 MONTHS EARLIER STARTED TO GO AND THEN ONE WEEK AFTER GETTING TIRES THE TRANSMISSION WENT.. RUN FAR FROM THIS VEHICLE DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY LIKE I DID.. JUNK

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  Mercury Cougars Water Leaks - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Ron LeHotsky - April 1 - 9:40 pm

  Mercury Cougar allows water to leak into areas that should be kept dry: drivers seat, passengers seat, & especially hatch area. Had to throw out multiple carpets and deal with stench of mildew. Able to see where water enters into hatch (through a spot welded seem near tail-lights) but solid sheet metal is above this area; multiple dealerships have been unable to diagnose how it gets in. Source is definitely not the rubber seals around the tail-light or hatch; these are tight. Only other source might be rubber gutter seals above windows, but there is no way to know unless they are removed. Problem is they cant be replaced. New ones must be purchased, custom painted, & installed.

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  Mercury Problems Ford Sucks - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Jeffrey - March 15 - 7:03 am

  I have owed nothing but Fords, 12 to be exact. That ends NOW. I had a 1997 Taurus, it needed a new transmission at 39k miles, Ford was not going to cover it initially, then I screamed and yelled and they covered it. This Mercury had MAJOR electrical issues at 45k miles, Ford said too bad not covered. The dealer ended up covering it for me. Now, the transmission on the Merc is out at 49k miles. Junk Junk JUNK. No more Fords for me.

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  Beware - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By LARRY BUMP - March 12 - 12:53 pm

  After 27,000 miles something is wrong and it is leaking transmission fluid. The sad part is it has been at the Ford dealer 3 weeks today because they dont have a replacement part. Today I was told they arent sure when the part will come in. Keep your eyes open if you own one, because it sounds like a common problem with this vehicle.

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  More problems than I can count - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By runner1 - March 7 - 4:46 pm

  My sister and I both bought used 2002 sables with approx 16,000 miles on them back in 2003. Since that time we both have had more problems that we can count, even though we have both kept our cars in great shape and did all the scheduled maintenance, etc. Hers is still barely running; mine bit the dust a few weeks ago. Heres a list of the problems weve had: - ticking sound from under the hood that no one can figure out. - wheels puncture from issue with wheel well. My sister had at least 4 blow outs due to this issue. - power steering issues/system breakdown. - interior faux-leather paneling on doors fell/peeled off. - SCARIEST: vehicle stalls, generally while going around 60 mph!

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  Not very pleased - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By hitmore35 - February 28 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Cougar for 2 years, and its been in the shop for MAJOR issues about 10 times. 3 times for the fuel pump (twice replaced), 2 recalls, Transmission slips, brakes, leaks of all sorts, electrical failures, and the list goes on... Its a shame because the car itself it very nice looking, but its TOTALLY not worth the trouble. Im looking forward to moving on to a different car soon.

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  huge let down - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By pincer78 - February 18 - 5:44 am

  i like many others had the problem with the transmisson cooler leak, which was fixed, but now my transmission is out, i have 65,000 miles on my vechicle and had to buy a new transmisson, i was wondering if anyone else had this problem or did i just get the lemon. i havent had any other problems until i noticed the leak, got it fixed immedately then a month later my transmisson started slipping, couldnt believe it, i will never by another FORD again, apparently they dont take pride in their vehicles otherwise why just the 60,000 mile warranty instead of 100,000 like the other competetors. if anyone else has had this problem please let me know, thanks

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  Not Bad - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By spudman - January 13 - 10:00 am

  The car has nice amenities, but has been troublesome. Its been in the shop more times than most other cars Ive owned. Though not a big car, its not easy to park especially in reverse.