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:

• 

  Save your money - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By deathpig - December 24 - 2:00 am

  Dont even waste your money on this LEMON. I have had the car for 5 months now and i have had nothing but problems. The car has been in the shop 6 times already. Everything from the hood and trunk release, sun roof, engine, emission sensors, and the list could go on. I will never buy another Mecury, not to mention that the dealership has been a real pain in the kneck.

• 

  Worst Vehicle I have ever owned - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By bspagnolo - October 16 - 11:28 pm

  Had a 2000 Windstar that had three transmissions in 36,000 miles. Foiund it had silent recall. Got this with concessions from Ford. Many service issues. Just had the third row seat restraints break loose from the frame. Whole underside of drivers side is rusted underneath . NTSHA has an investigation on this vehicle for safety issues regarding seat mounts breaking free because of rust. I have a 12x12 hole in a wheel well and Ford wont do anything. Only 67,000 miles, Wife drives it. Garage kept. This is the second vehicle ford let us down on. I have owned fords all my life and never again. They dont stand behind what they sell. I suggest everyone with this vehicle check the wheel wells row

• 

  35 mph - 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By george - October 12 - 9:43 am

  at 35-40 mph when i accelerate the engine halts and then goes on. in 2 and 1 there is no halting. I have been told it is the overdrive torque converter in the transmission. Is that all it is?

• 

  G-Man loves his Grand Marquis - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Mercury Man - September 3 - 2:33 am

  I bought this car for my 40th birthday. It had 76,000 miles on the odometer. And the car was in PERFECT condition. As a Dad with 3 kids in the house, safety is number one. I paid $6,500 FOR THE CAR AND HAVE CONSIDERED THIS CAR THE BEST i HAVE EVER OWNED. It isnt the prettiest. But, I KNOW I could put 200,000 miles on this car. I just put a new set of Goodyear Eagle GTs on this car and it handles great. And for the harshe winters here in southern Michiagan, the car is exceptional.

• 

  I hate this car - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By patskar - August 3 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car almost 3 years and have just put in its 5th alternator. Ive also had two other separate electrical services. The radio has been replaced twice and the hatch release has been repaired twice and still doesn;t work. I am so sorry I bought this car. It looks pretty, but thats about it.

• 

  Very Disappointed - 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By upset-grandma - June 23 - 8:53 am

  Very disappointed with the quality vs. value. Wanted to get rid of it within 2 months, but now very upside down on loan (because a lousy quality vehicle) and now have to keep until loan is paid down! Which makes me dislike it more! Outside too big, inside too small, ride is very rough. Just stuck with a lousy car that I dont enjoy driving! The only positive thing about the car, its been dependable. But so have my other cars, which makes us regret the day we bought this car. No wonder the car companies are going bankrupt, the quality is not worth what theyre charging. As soon as its driven away, it immediately drops in value $10,000?? But the new ones are still priced at $27,000??

• 

  After you hit 100,000 miles - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By william1971 - May 18 - 10:40 am

  After you hit 100,000 miles a lot of the parts need to be replaced. I notice the parts on the car are cheaper when I replace these parts the replacement parts were made better I had to replace the lower ball joints sway bar links and bushing, hoses, belts, axles bearings, transmission but one thing it has a great motor paid 2000 dollars at 73,000 miles for the car put 3000 dollars after it reach 100,000 miles

• 

  Trust the Editor rating - 2001 Mercury Villager
  By Luck - May 15 - 5:20 pm

  This is a third set of front brake already; the vehicle has less than 40K miles. EOM brake pad will last up to 20- 25K miles in normal driving condition. Cost $350 plus for the brake service each time. After the car being parked for more than eight hours at work (in the Winter time) Temperature gauge showed the engine is over heated right after the ignition was turned on. Now, I often seeing the temperature gauge jump from normal range to hot range and back and forth from normal driving condition. Water gets in headlights assembly. Two rear tires have radial crack. Rushed Roof rack track on Driver side. A/C light switch

• 

  purchase only if youre rich - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By phantomrogue - May 10 - 8:20 pm

  i can not tell you how bad this car is...i bought it used with 65000 miles on it thinking that it wouldnt give me any problems, because i knew someone who owned one. the repair list is as follows: the tie rod ends went on the car. my mechanic was suprised that i was actually able to drive it without the front axel dropping out. the steering rack went, along with the starter that had to be replaced 2x. and now my mechanic thinks the flywheel needs to be replaced. the sunroof broke, and i had to fix it myself, cause i think youre out of your mind if you are gonna spend over $1000 to get it fixed. the upper and lower intake manifolds went and had to be replaced along with the gaskets.

• 

  Not So Great, But Not Terrible - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By patrick.168 - May 7 - 8:30 am

  I have had my Cougar for two years now. I am very ready to sell it. The transmission is slipping, the struts are going bad, the passenger window is breaking, its rusting, and the radio is poor. I have had to do quite a few repairs on this car. I have had to get new tires, whole new braking system, new shocks, like a few different, expensive things done to the motor. My service receipt pile is quite large. My car is currently in the shop for a blockage that isnt allowing coolant to get through so its over heating. I have heard worse stories however. I guess maybe mine is just getting old. Its a 99 with 122,222 miles on it and it had been wrecked previously.