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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  nice car - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By zogu - May 2 - 4:50 pm

  Dependable, comfortable, plenty of room. My advice: You absolutely must get the BLIS blind spot detector and the rear camera. The rear camera is a good idea on any car, but especially this one which has a high back end. Mercury Milan vs Ford Fusion: I looked at them both...the Fords styling and options seemed more aimed at males under 35..the Mercury towards females over 35. Me - male over 35 - I prefer safety and comfort over sportiness and nice sound systems. Also the Lincoln-Mercury salesman was older and less aggressive than the Ford guy - they seem to be accustomed to dealing with a different demographic.

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  Awesome Bang for the Buck - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By MC - May 2 - 2:10 pm

  Awesome Bang for the Buck! With just over 70,000 its been nothing but a pleasure cruise.

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  Love it, love it - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By Ed Edmundson - May 1 - 8:36 am

  Absolutely love my Sable. The ride and handling is absolutely the perfect mix. Great performance in mountain driving here in New Mexico, and will just glide across the desert 85 miles per hour all day quietly and smoothly getting 33 mpg highway and an amazing 29 in town. I have a bad back, and these are the best seats ever. When my back hurts, I just go for a drive in the Sable, and Im fixed. Have had a couple of minor mechanical issues. Had to replace the serpentine belt tensioner and EGR valve, but big deal. Car makes me feel like I am driving a luxury car, and beautiful to boot.

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  After 2 and a half years .... - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By sdinnis - April 26 - 10:00 am

  ... I still enjoy driving my Mountaineer. The one gripe I have is that there seems to be a rattle coming from the passenger side when I go over bumps/tracks, etc. Dealer has looked at it several times and not been able to fix it (or recreate it consistently). But the ride is nice and comfortable and the V8 has more power than I would ever need even for towing small trailers. Makes me kinda wish I had gone for the V6 for better gas mileage. Its design both in and out is very appealing. It handles like a truck (duh!) which limits its fun factor to drive but if you wanted fun, you wouldnt be getting a big SUV.

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  Impressive - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By CMD7968 - April 26 - 10:00 am

  This is my first SUV.I cant believe I waited this long. There is so much more room than a sedane.I heard prior to purchasing that riding in a SUV was like riding a dirt bike. I totally disagree. The mountaineer is a smooth ride other than the occasional divet in road or rail road tracks.The factory stereo system is awesome.No need to install additional speakers etc. The gas mileage is Okay but I have always drove a 4-cylinder or 6-cylinder car, so this being 8-cylinder of course uses more gas.Love the extra vents for air w/ controls in the back seat.The only thing I dont like is when my husband makes me drive his car!

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  great and reliable car - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By me - April 26 - 1:33 am

  When I bought this car it was 1 year old and had 30,000 miles on it. It is running as good as it did 10 years ago. I have had a few repairs on it - like the alternator and transmission. It has been very reliable for me, and I would buy one again if they were still made!

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  ONLY 87,000 MILES AND CANT DRIVE - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Sharon Figgins - April 25 - 6:33 pm

  01/18/07 When truck shifts gears it vibrates. Cost: $198.95. 05/29/07 Replaced drivers side pretensioner Cost: $273.19. 06/26/07 Replaced front differential, both rear axle seals Cost: $1580.23 11/07/07 Front end alignment and replace seals in rear. Cost: $482.97 12/13/07 Replace left front hub bearing. Cost $401.73. 02/18/08 Rear wheel bearing, rear rotors, surpitene belt Cost: $348.51. 03/11/08 Replaced rear end assembly. Cost: 864.68 03/20/09 Front differential needed bolts tightened and right rear bearing replaced. (I agreed to repair if it fixed problem) Cost: $428.00 Did not fix problem. Told I needed rear transfer case and V coupling. Will cost me another 2,300 plus. PARKED CAR.

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  Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By manx kitty - April 25 - 7:36 am

  This is my 3rd car and it has been great - no problems whatsoever! It is now 6 years old and has a little over 85,000 miles and the only thing it has been in the shop for is the alternator which went out at 5 years/70,000; however, alternators are a common replacement item on cars. Great gas mileage - I get 6 days out of a tank of gas. I have/will continue to recommend this car to anyone.

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  Great van for the money - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By Mark - April 24 - 8:36 pm

  Ive owned my Mercury Sport for nearly 6 years and feel certian its a better choice over Chrysler or Ford products due to the Nissan Powertrain. I now have 110k + miles and it still runs as strong as the day I purchased it. Maintenance is key to long engine life! Brakes, tires and other replacables are only items put on our black beauty. I would highly suggest putting on a great set of tires to match engine zip. Im currently running yokohomos. OEM tires were,of course replaced after 30k seating of 5 is no problem especially on long trips. Did I say I also pull a 2,000 lb. boat? Great van, purchased with very few regrets!

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  This is a sweet one - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By fugary - April 23 - 1:30 pm

  Even know i just bought my Mountaineer i fallen in love with it. For being 3 years old its drive like a new one. Their third row seating is sweet