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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  Toms Car - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By tomtom - October 1 - 3:23 am

  I like driving the car. Its a smooth ride but packs enough power to make a jump off the line. Im not saying its a racing car, but for a passanger car its a nice car overall. I put a 1000W system in it. i got 2 12" p1 subs and a 8" bazooka tube. This is with 4 new speakers and a Sony faceplate. If youre buying this car, you really shouldnt have many improvements in mind. This is a smooth car and great for drives anywhere. I put in a system becuase its what I love and Im looking to put on 20" rims if itll hold them and chrome most of it out.

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  Big, comfortable,some interior flaws - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By ed smith - September 30 - 11:26 am

  Great, comfortable,ride. Gas economy lacking. Interior design needs work. Smartly styled exterior. Although, having driven rear wheel dr. for years, last 5 cars have had front dr.. I think I prefer front dr..

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  My First SUV - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By First SUV - September 28 - 12:23 am

  This is my first SUV, bought from a dealer auction as used, mileage 31k. So far fantastic. Fun to drive. Gas mileage could be better, but its an SUV. Would recommend to friends. Interior styling very ergonomic, and quite. V6 performance adequate. Gear shift is ok, but sometimes you feel the jerk. My wife loves to drive.

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  2000 Estate - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By mercnout - September 20 - 5:42 pm

  Im definitely glad I found this vehicle while shopping for used vans on craigslist last year. I bought it a year ago with 114,000 miles and have been driving it hard, putting 22,000 miles on it. I use every day as a service vehicle. It has been reliable over all but it has had several wear & tear issues such as new brakes, bad distibutor & new tires. Theres also a knocking or crunching noise coming from the driver side wheel over bumps. It think it may be cv joint or something. So its not invinsible but its definitley reliable & a phenomenal value. I just hope mine hold up to 200-250k miles like many others have.

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  Oh my Kitty - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Cougar owner - September 18 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my Cougar in April 2000. Most problems related to service but I did take the car back about 4 times the first two weeks for radio problems. A few months afterward, I took it back because of bubbles that caused paint chips. The car has had several recalls that I knew nothing about until a year later. The most recent problem was the RPM revs in neutral. Passengers are not crazy about the back seat, so this car is for the selfish...few riders and no little kids! The car seat does not fit properly in the back. I like the looks, but I am not completely satisfied. I wont be buying another Cougar...neither will I buy another Mercury.

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  A decent buy - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Byronape - September 15 - 10:00 am

  I bought the car with 125k miles on it for about $2000 under book. The interior has held up well, but the paint has lost some of itt luster. The engine is still reasonably strong, and the steering has held up well. A bit heavy in the corners, but not too bad. If you are intrested in this kind of thing, there are a few places to find aftermarket parts for this car. A web search should bring several up. All in all, my time with this car has been well spent with only a single and inexpensive problem that had me driving a Geo Metro (I still have nightmares from that thing) for a week. I am not sorry I bought the car at all.

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  baby girl - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By Terrie - September 14 - 2:00 am

  i think that she is one of the best car that i have ever had, and i have had 7 of them.

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  Bought a used Milan - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By jr - September 13 - 7:50 pm

  I bought a 2006 Milan in August 2008. The car looks good and is comfortable inside. Road noise on stock tires is too loud on most roads. The ride is harsh with sharp jolts on rough roads. I thought it would be smoother and quieter than it is. The automatic trans, when manually shifted to a lower gear, shifts into low at 40 mph, quite a jolt. Also the radio, for no reason will increase volume to an uncomfortable level sometimes when I hit the cruise control to decrease the speed.

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  shes gone a long way - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By sprosper - September 10 - 12:37 pm

  i have a 2001 sable that my fiance bought 7 years ago with 185k on it. i do all the normal maintance on it, ive NEVER done any major work on it. the most intense ive got with it was a water pump. i was brought up as a chevy man, dont get me wrong i love the bowtie but my sable is probably the best car we have ever had. today 8-20-2013 the sable hit 400,000 miles!!!! i am beyond impressed with this car. i would most defenatly buy another one :)

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  New owner - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By NewMarquisowner - September 8 - 10:00 am

  Just picked it up a couple of days ago, Took a bit to get used to the light touch steering. Enjoying the room and the ride. Cant wait to take it on a long trip...very comfortable, still a good looking car! Suprised at the lack of extras in the interior, really sparse..my 2 year old Sable had many more interior features and was better appointed inside. Looks like there was a big giveup by buying the convenience model vs. the limited. lousy cup holders and nothing automatic in front..all manual..oh well! its still a very good value and I dont mind since I saved about 5 grand over a Japanese model......I will enjoy the room and the ride..