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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  Its not great, but its good - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Crystal28 - March 8 - 2:00 am

  The grand marquis is a very safe car and plenty of power to get you where you want. However, it is big and hard to park and weve had lots of trouble with the windows breaking.

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  poor mans towncar - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By c. russo - March 8 - 2:00 am

  The car looks good, handles and rides just like a Lincoln Town Car minus all the toys and if you could live without the sofisticated extras and toys this is the car to purchase. The Grand Marquis Convience model is the car you want to own. Ive had the car almost three months and put 3500 combined city and highway miles averaging 20 to 21 M.P.G.

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  No good - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Martinz - March 7 - 10:00 am

  The car is slow, Handles bad, and it a HUGE copy off the lengendary 1994,1995,1996 Impala SS. Oh and what color is the Marauder only avaible in?? Black. Same as the 1994 Impala. Whos coping who??? I really dislike this car and im gonna sell it.

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  awful car, AVOID AT ALL COSTS - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By John_j_c8 - March 7 - 10:00 am

  From day 1, this car was plagued with problems. Defective radio, broken hood prop were the first things. Then alternators, AC Compressors, fuel pump, rotos, brake pads, alignment, tire re- balance, insulation hanging from the under body, fabric on the seats came apart, poor fit and finish and many more PROBLEMS. Avoid this car.

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  Sleek Sports Car !!!! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Elizvi94 - March 7 - 10:00 am

  I have the 2001 V6, leather seats, 6 cd changer,ABS,anti-theft,side & front airbags,automatic. I really enjoy driving this car. I like it because a lot of people dont own one. It is much better looking than the Acura or Mits.

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  Best kept secret out there at the time.. - 2005 Mercury Sable
  By Nick072261 - March 6 - 2:33 pm

  I really love this car, especially now that I purchased better all season tires! I purchased this car with 19,000 miles for $12,000. It is completely loaded. I now have 45,000 miles on it and have not had any issues. It has a very strong v6 dohc engine that is fast on acceleration. The interior appointments look rich and classy. I also had a V6 Camry before this and I can truthfully say that for the price difference, the Sable is just as good - so far. I sold my Camry with 166,000 miles without any issues, hopefully the Sable will give me the same reliability, only time will tell.

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  I love this boat! - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By badaa99 - March 4 - 5:30 pm

  Mine has 62K miles currently and bought it with 45K miles. This car DOES "float/glide" on the road which is typical for a large sedan. Once you do drive it though you will get used to the floaty sensation. This car has a EXTREMELY soft suspension which is good for people like me who live on Long Island NY and have roads that have a ton of pot holes and bumps. Going over a series bumps on a rough road will feel like vibrations. This car has A LOT of power for a car this size and weight! I was surprised on how much power it has when I floored it! The seats are very soft which is very comfortable! Bad things- -Car has sloppy handling -Hard to park -cheap interior

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  Another great Marquis - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By JBB - March 2 - 5:10 am

  This is my 5th Marquis. Its a 2004 purchased with 21,000 miles for a measly $14,500. Car needed some work to start, about 1,500 with some rear axle problems. I was surprised. After driving these things for 16 years its the largest repair bill ever. Well crafted, old style RWD, nice looking lots of room good handling a real highway car. You cant find a better machine without selling the farm. They rearly break down. Could be one of the best cars in the world for this price.

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  Apples or Oranges? You decide... - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By Bob - March 2 - 3:53 am

  I traded in my 2005 Nissan Altima SER for a brand new 2008 Mercury Milan. My Altima SER was purchased used with 8,600 miles on the odometer. The only drawback it had a six speed manual transmission. It had 18" mag wheels, low profile racing tires, a Bose stereo system, great racing seats, and a powerful 270 hp engine. When I blew the clutch it cost me $1500.00 to get it fixed. Well Nissan blew the repair, I couldnt find reverse at times, neither could I find first. I got so discouraged after several attempts to get it right with Nissan, I went car shopping. I found the Mercury Milan Premier. Its a great car, but its not an Altima SER. Thus my title Apples or Oranges...

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  Ford man all the way. - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Mike D. - February 25 - 12:43 pm

  1st of all, I traded an 04 F150. great truck needed something that didnt drink the gas as fast. I love the car, style, comfort, sound system everything about it. I purchased the all wheel drive Premere edition with that CVT transmition. Took the car on a ride over route 2 in Ma. it handled the mountain rd with no problems. For those of you who are thinking of buying the Montego or the Ford 500, GO FOR IT. Mike D.