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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  solid and comfortable - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By brian waters - February 27 - 10:48 pm

  Will not hold resale value, but if you want to keep it and do some basic maintenance it will last. Solidly built, lots of passenger and storage space

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  Dont Buy It - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By JeffMiller - February 27 - 12:46 am

  Although this car looks great and can be fun to drive, it has many problems. It has had more than 10 recalls in under 3 years. The "premium" radio cant get a channel to stay. The engine, wipers, etc. interupt the reception. The headlights let water leak into them. Infact, the doors and trunk leak. The back seats are very uncomfortable. The doors lock by themselves, requiring one to always keep a spare on their person. Need I say more?

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  Comfort & Reliability at a Cheap Price - 1996 Mercury Cougar
  By rrd - February 26 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 96 Cougar last June. The 1996 Cougar is very civilized. Power from the 4.6 L is excellent and smooth. I did buy a new 94 T-Bird in 1994 which I managed to total with only 500 miles. (I thank God Ford put in airbags starting in 1994, or I may not be writing this now!) I know these cars are safe first hand. It was in the winter and I was surprised how little traction these cars have in the snow and ice. I have a 4X4 for winter now, (but I am curious if this 96 Cougar can handle the snow and ice under very controlled conditions). If not, in the garage it goes until spring!

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  Great buy. Cheap insurance for a V8 - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By JayJay - February 25 - 12:53 pm

  Not a fast car, Im 20 and like to speed. Great big boat and roomy except the rear back leg room. The car really needs bigger rims 17 inches to help with the handling. The car came with a crappy sound system so I put a new head unit, speakers, and amp. Never had any problems with it. Im allways putting the gas to the floor. Driving it as crazy as I do, I still get 15 mpgs. I put 20,000 miles on it in a year and still running great!

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  Still Crazy in Love - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Silverauder - February 21 - 10:40 pm

  Ordered my04 Silver Birch in Oct.03 (after owning a Crown Vic that just made me yawn.)WOW! Not the same animal...the difference between a house cat and a tiger! Reliability is suberb. A daily driver, it performs flawlessly. Love the handling that takes me through the twisties with ease. Its just plain ol FUN to drive. Its striking exterior and throaty exhaust note still turns heads. After all these years still get a thrill jumping behind the wheel and firing it up. With low production numbers over 2 model years, many devoted owners keep in touch via internet forums and regional meets. For gearheads, this car is a dream. Wake it up...and hear the tiger roar!

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  Worst vehicle Ive ever owned - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Jason - February 20 - 8:56 am

  Seriously the worst vehicle I have ever had. 40,000 miles the transmission blew and needed a completely new one with no help from Ford due to the warranty ending at 36K. Now the front end is starting to go and the brakes are shot. I cant wait to get rid of this car.

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  GS Convenience with 2 tone package - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By GS Convenience - February 20 - 2:30 am

  Ive now owned this car for 5 months and love it. It is a very quiet, comfortable car and rides like a Town Car. My 2 tone package came with nice extras such as a hood ornament, brushed aluminum scuff plates that say Grand Marquis, the Mercury emblem debossed in the two toned leather seatbacks and body color door handles. The car seems rock solid and has decent fuel mileage for the all city driving I do (19- 20mpg). It handles like a much smaller car but has the big car ride without being floaty or wallowy. It is also quite a bargain for a full size car with a V8 engine. Id recommend it to those of any age. Im not a grandpa even though the car might be considered a "grandpa car".

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  Very pleased - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Jessica - February 20 - 12:20 am

  I seem to have a different view than most people here. I have a 2002 Anniversary edition and absolutely love it. I have had no problems and have put 8k miles on it making a grand total of 51k. I dont know if its too soon to talk but it handles great, is a comfortable and quiet ride on the interstate, and gets great gas mileage (after driving 250 miles at 75 mph I have half a tank left). For a 2dr car the back seat is very roomy and comfortable except it does not seat very tall people well.

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  V6 Premier - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By Paul - February 18 - 4:10 pm

  Biggest bang for your buck. What a car. Employing pricing is a give away. Suggest the heated seats as an option. Plays 6 cds full of mp3s, thats at least 600 or more tunes, all info shows on radio panel. The message center is all good info. Once you sync your phone youll love the option with Microsoft Sync, all info of your phone is displayed on the radio panel, last call, phone book, play your phone MP3s etc. Excepts I-pods, USB port and more. All controls are on steering wheel. The 3.0 engine has been around for a while.

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  636K on 2 - 2001 Mercury Mountaineer
  By mount4ever - February 17 - 11:32 pm

  Purchased my first 97 5.0L AWD off the floor. Had no idea how great it was to be. Drove it daily mostly hwy until I donated with 334K. Only major issue ever was a transfer case at about 200K. Normal wear and tear like rotars, pads and a couple alternaters. Changed the oil every 6 or 7K! Found a second 2001 model with 50K in 2005. Still using it as daily with 304K! Ford fixed the transfer case problem after 1998 so no issues at all with this one. Rotars, front barings one alternator and thats it. Better half got tired of looking at it so today I went out to look at F150s. Came across a 2000 model Mountaineer with 102K like new. Pick it up from the dealer in 2 days. BEST in snow and towing 2.