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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  I hate this car! - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By brittlya - January 28 - 1:36 am

  I truly hate this car! I am always having some type of problem with this car! Every year since I have had it there has been something that breaks down on it! Its truly ridiculous! I would not recommend this car to ANYONE!! Its the biggest waste of money thats ever been spent!

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  Beware of this LEMON!!! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Lemonowner - January 18 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Cougar for 3 years and have spent close to $5000 in repairs (numerous calls to Ford customer service for financial assistance were completely blown off). My radio has gone out three times and the last time burnt through the left channel destroying the entire system. I couldnt stomach the $600 to replace it so I go without. I have had so many problems with this vehicle I cant list them all. Both power window regulators, alternator, catalytic converter, wheel bearings, starter, power hatch release, radio, sensors, etc. Ive never been more dissatisfied with a car. Save yourself! Dont buy this car!

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  Too Much Hype - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By jAcK nAPIER - November 25 - 1:46 am

  When I test drove the Milan, the dealership did not have a model I wanted; AWD w/ a moonroof. When I got my car, I noticed that the moonroof cost me 4” of head room. Consequently I hit my head on every little bump. The design of the back window is poor. You can not tell where the end of the car is and you can not see 3-5feet beyond the back bumper. God help any of you who have children or pets around when you are driving in reverse. You would think that engineering would see this risk a mile away. I hope pregnant women or people who can not stand strong fumes do not buy this car. The plastic they use in the car is still giving me a sore throat. Steering is loose at highway speed

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  Piece of Junk - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By JTC - August 17 - 8:20 pm

  In the 5 years I have had this lemon, I have replaced the alternator twice, the transmission once, the starter, and the blower (only worked on high speed fan). The headlights dim for no apparent reason...the service guy told me that I would have to replace the connector between the starter and alternator ($1,000). Ive had nothing but problems with it. I wish I never bought it.

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  always something going wrong - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By Mike - June 16 - 9:16 pm

  It had 118,000 miles on it when I bought it in 2004. In one year I have replaced the battery, steering pump, back brake calipers, rotors, tires, spark plug wires, O2 sensor, coolant over flow bottle, rack and pinion $900, and the engine light is on now and the car surges because another sensor has gone bad and its like having a car payment every month. My Windstar was worse. My family has owned Ford cars for more than 50 years and they all had electrical problems. Once the engine light comes on it never shuts off. Ive had it!!!

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  Dont buy a Ford - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By dJM - June 10 - 10:00 am

  The bumper on the vehicle started to rust under the plastic trim. Ford paid for half the cost of repainting it. The body shop, Otis Ford, on Long Island could not install the plastic bumper cover without cracking it after four tries. They said the bumber had a defect. This has been going on for a year and still not resolved. No support from Ford or the dealer. I plan on selling the car and buying a new Honda. Dont buy Ford

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  Worst Vehicle Ive Ever Owned - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By NoToMariner - April 9 - 3:30 pm

  I have owned my Mariner less than a month and I have already determined this is the worst vehicle I have ever owned. After only two weeks, permanent stains showed up on the side panels from some liquid that had been thrown up by the tires. The dealer claimed it was Armour All from the tires but agreed to repaint all of the panels because they shouldnt have stained so easily. That process took over a week. There is also a noise inside the door that sounds like a ball bearing rolling around--the source cant be found. A $32,000 vehicle should not have this many initial problems!

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  Problems, Problems - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By rlb71956 - April 8 - 10:00 am

  Reliability has been marginal at best. Vehicle currently has only 81,000 miles, and have already had to have a complete new transmission ($3,000), replaced the alternator, replaced the power steering pump, replaced the front wheel bearings, replaced the rear brakes and rotors, replaced the front brakes and rotors. Interior quality also not so good, with holes in the carpet on the drivers side. Trade-in value seems to be going down a LOT faster than my loan balance.

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  Its all over at 67,000 miles - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Disgruntled - March 21 - 2:23 am

  Transmission needs to be rebuilt....it has slipped since it was brand new. The spoiler broke at 3 years and they dont make it any more. The head gasket is blown and it has never over-heated, has had regular oil changes/service and obviously not used to tow anything. I need to replace a couple of sensors and it is $700 at the dealership. You have to pay $93 for diagnostics to determine minor failures and another $140 for compression diagnostic. As I should have remembered before I bought this, it is just a shinier FORD - Fix Or Repair Daily. I also own a 1967 Ford Mustang which is reliable - built before the American automotive manufacturers forgot how to build a decent, reliable car

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  99 Mercury Cougar-Beware - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Jballer - March 8 - 2:00 am

  This car is fun to drive, when you are not getting the factory parts replaced. To date weve had a broken sunroof ($2000 to fix) Complete starter assembly ($763), and recently a new alternator with serpentine belt installed ($600). From my research online multiple 99 users are experiencing the same problems as I. Due to the small engine compartment, the car is exceptionally hard to work on, and most garages and dealerships dread working on this car. Overall- I advise being wary of this vehicle as this year just wasnt a good one for mercury.