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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  mercury granmaquis ls ultimate - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By e.l.sanders - June 23 - 5:03 am

  ive owned a 1987/1998/granmarquis- these is by far the best g/m ever!-i get 26-28 on highway with 5 people- around town drops to 14.5-17--not bad 4 4,000 pound car.handling is big improvement-can go around h/way exit curves&speed up, no need for brakes like older g/marquis.ride&comfort r 1st class-ac&heat r perfect&fast auto temp works great-reg gas a big plus!

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  Transmission and drive train problems - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Dane LaGrow - June 22 - 4:56 pm

  Ford used many poor quality parts on my vehical. Replaced fuel pump.Replaced both rear springs(broke in man spots).Rear wheel bearings. Transmission had to be rebuilt twice. Transmission was rebuilt at Schmit Bros.Ford in Saukville wi. at 83000 miles. The transmission failed again at 112000 miles. They refused to stand behind there work.The owner said they installed Ford parts and it was Fords fault the transmission failed.I contacted Ford and they refused to stand behind Schmit Bros work. We have not had the tranmission repaired yet. This is the last Ford I will ever Buy.

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  Ford: 4 letter word that starts w/ F - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By bouletheou - June 18 - 2:00 am

  At 64K miles the transmission went out. It was a bad bearing on the pumpshaft which took out the torque converter. That cost $850. At 87K miles a friend wanted to buy it. I told him to have a mechanic check it out and drive it for a few days. Turns out the head gasket was blown. I had no idea. It never got hot and since you cant actually see in the radiator, and the little bottle stayed full, nobody caught it. We are now pround Camry owners.

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  We love this car - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By slosbelm - June 17 - 6:33 am

  We find the exhaust makes somewhat of a rumbling noise more so than our previous 2000 vehicle. We experience less outside noise than the previous car. The ride is quite smooth although rough roads have a little bumpiness to the ride but certainly within acceptable limits. The compass over the rear view mirror has saved many tempers and the garage door opener is very handy. The leather seats are very nice but take a little getting used to. We would reccommend this vehicle especially for distance driving.

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  If I could only give it back - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By Michael Duvall - June 16 - 7:43 pm

  Like a total idiot, I traded in my totally loaded 04 Oldsmobile Aurora to get this car which was loaded; after getting home I begin realizing how there were hardly if any options assumed. I cant stand this car, the way it shifts, the way it drives, Ive already put about 13K in mileage on this car as I commute a ton. Seats are extremely uncomfortable, interior design is horrible, turning radius is terrible, when you pop the trunk it doesnt self open. No A/C or heating vents in the rear seats; I can go on and on. LOOK HARD BEFORE YOU BUY THIS CAR; I AM EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED. I tried to give it back within the 3-day period of time; but the dealer wouldnt return my calls on how to.

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  Watch Out - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Patrick - June 16 - 7:00 pm

  I can say that I do like my new Mountaneer, but be warned have the dealership check out the instrument cluster before you leave. I bought mine with 23 miles on it, two days later it was in the shop having a new instrument cluster put in. Even having the new instrament cluster put in, they still had problems with it and it still sits there now after 4 days! Hopefully this will be the only problem I will have as I have always had good luck with Ford products.

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  Where does the Gas Go?? - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By NJ Mitch - June 14 - 12:43 pm

  I just purchased my 09 coming out of a 07 Mariner. Both trucks are night and day. I have a fully loaded Mariner ,some days I do not want to stop driving. Only issue is fuel economy. I am getting close to 270 miles per tank and that is with 75% hwy driving. I am hoping this is the break in period and will improve. This is the best bang for your buck in SUV class. Kudos to Ford for making such drastic improvements and driver friendly features. Oh did I mention the Sync package with Nav, oh it is one of the best I have seen. It does things my friends Lexus wishes it could!

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  Nice SUV - 2001 Mercury Mountaineer
  By rylo02 - June 11 - 6:43 am

  I purchased my 2001 Mountaineer with used with 91000 miles on it. This was a 1 owner vehicle and i have not had any real major problems with it. The only thing that i have had to do was replace the ball joints at 103000. This SUV is great in the Winter time and I like driving it. I am thinking about upgrading this to a 2004. i would recomend this SUV to anyone who is looking

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  This Cougar LOVES her Cougar! - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By alznwonderland - June 8 - 2:25 am

  I bought my Cougar in 2003 with 19,000 miles on it. 88,000 miles later, I have had to sink about $2,000 in her. But for me, she is worth it. I get compliments all the time about how cool looking this car is. I have replaced the computer, brakes, and most recently, the coil. I was having problems with surging, a gulping or missing action when I accelerated and my mechanic couldnt figure out what the problem was. I found that in 2004, the fuel module had been recalled and was effective to have it replaced until October, 2011. It was at that time the seviceman told me the coil is what was causing the "missing" affect. I had a friend replace it for $70.00. Runs like new again! I love this car!

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  2009 AWD MMH - 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By bikerrich - June 7 - 2:50 pm

  Had it about a month now; enjoying the mileage and the kick of trying to keep it on battery. Nice car for the price. A bit wallowy. Cant take curves at 60. Suspension needs some improvement. Brake pedal feels fine, dont notice any difference from my other cars.