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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  Good Car To Own - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By paul - January 26 - 10:00 am

  I have put over 70000 miles driving this van. It handles nicely on the road. Average mileage in town 17.4, highway 21.2. Maintenance has not been a problem. Great family car and large cargo area.

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  Good Car To Own - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By Paul - January 26 - 10:00 am

  I have put over 70000 miles driving this van. It handles nicely on the road. Average mileage in town 17.4, highway 21.2. Maintenance has not been a problem. Great family car and large cargo area.

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  Overall Good Car - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By JHB - January 26 - 10:00 am

  Ive put 10000 miles on my car in 5 mos. Im in the military so I drive a long distance from home and base. I have experienced no engine problems, besides the fact the check engine light is almost always on.The electrical part is another story. The driver side window goes down but not up, and the doors lock automatically sometimes. Otherwise it drives great, runs excellent, and looks really nice. This car in my overall opinion is its a good car with typical car repairs. The car runs very well over long distances. I did buy it with a warranty so its all covered anyways.

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  My New Sable, errr, Milan - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By meinschaft - January 25 - 8:40 pm

  I was deciding between a new Civic Si and either a Fusion or Milan. After driving the Civic Si, I decided it is too small (I commute 140 miles/day). Leased a Milan Premier with all options except traction control (I wanted it but the dealer could not get me a car with it). I was prepared to be satisfied but instead have found myself impressed. The price was the same as the Civic Si, and while Iknow its comparing apples and oranges, the Milan is really a lot more car for the money. What really helped make my decisoin was the treatment I received at the Honda dealer - they are old- fashioned leissure-suited liars and thieves. The Milan is exceptionally quiet and smooth.

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  Lots of problems - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By Miche - January 21 - 2:06 pm

  Axle gasket has been replaced twice and is going in for a 3rd time to get fixed due to leaking again! Car stalls while it is in motion when air conditioner is on. It also stalls while idling. I will be driving and the car just shuts down on its own. Mercury dealership says there is nothing wrong with it. I bet they change their minds when I go off the road due to no power of any kind when it stalls. Seat warmer has a burning smell when it is on for more that 5 minutes. Not happy!

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  A GOOD VAN - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By ACEIT - January 19 - 2:00 am

  I NOW HAVE 80000 ON MY VILLAGER. IT HAS NOT HAD ANY MAJOR REPAIRS. I RECENTLY HAD TO HAVE THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW SWITCH REPAIRED (WINDOW WOULD NOT GO UP, TOTAL BILL $75.00. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE STICKY GAS PEDAL SINCE I HAVE PURCHASED THE VAN. ANY IDEAS HOW TO FIX?? THE CUP HOLDERS ARE LACKING (LARGE CUPS ARE A PROBLEM). I USE MY VAN FOR WORK (COMPUTER REPAIR) AND FIND THE SEATING OPTIONS PERFECT FOR HOW I USE IT (HAULING PCS, MONITORS, AND LOTS OF PARTS). I LIKE THE GAS MILEAGE, 24 MILES PER GALLON, AND THE 3.3 IS A SNAPPY ENGINE. I PULL A 16 FOOT BASS BOAT WITH NO TROUBLE.

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  99 SPORT - 93K Miles - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By 47IHC-KB - January 16 - 9:33 pm

  Had and fixed myself most of the usual problems (Lower than expected mileage, sticky throttle valve, CV JOINT boots failed after 80K-not hard to replace, Bad Headlight socket,dimmer switch intermittant, Rear fuel Injector- Difficult to remove upper intake manifold to access, broken passenger door lock actuator, Bad road vibration-- Bad orig. tires were the cause, front rotors get very hot & warp easy,rear shoes still original, left sliding door seal pops out, waterleak in rear door, paint peeling off cargo rack, squeaky belts, some minor coolant leaks). Engine is still strong, quick acceleration, handles well. Still using 2nd set of tires, but vibration increasing. Horn difficult to activate

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  Pretty good so far! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Jewels6 - January 14 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car a little over a year, i like it pretty good. My trunk release has never worked. I have had to have a hose replaced and 2 new front tires and a censor, other than that, its fine. The worst problem I have had is with the dealership. I like it, its sporty and I feel free when i drive.

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  Not too bad after 128k miles - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By skmcobra - January 7 - 10:58 am

  My wife bought this car in 2010 with 81k miles. She bought the extended warranty but I believe only needed it at around 115k miles for an oil pan leak. Today at 128k miles the radiator coolant fans have quit running. Ford dealer quoted me $750 parts & labor but I had done my research and found fans for $100 less at OReillys. They honored the price and dropped cost to $650. Getting it fixed today. Over all this has been a reliable and safe car. Great to drive in the snow with the all wheel drive. Gets about 22-24mpg on the highway and about 17-18 in town. I cant speak to the tranny issues many mention, but it may have been fixed before we bought it.

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  nice car - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By vondale1988 - January 7 - 4:56 am

  a nice riding grand marquis is exactly what i been looking for and this is a nice car